Saccade target choice in natural viewing
Official title: Saccade Target Selection in Naturalistic Visual Search
Funded at State College of Optometry · NIH-11369998 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study exploring how the brain quickly picks where to look next in real-world scenes, with potential relevance to ADHD-related attention challenges.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | State College of Optometry NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2019 |
| Project end | June 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $608,370 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY030669-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11369998 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals with ADHD or attention-related difficulties who rely on efficient eye movements in daily tasks may be interested in related future studies or interventions.
✕Less likely to help
People without attention-related difficulties may not directly benefit from this basic science research.
What this research studies
This project examines how the midbrain and frontal eye fields work together to choose where to look next when scanning complex images. Researchers will use extended, naturalistic stimuli and advanced information-theoretic methods to analyze eye movements and target selection in real time. The work aims to illuminate how attention and eye movement control operate in everyday viewing, which could inform understanding of attention difficulties seen in ADHD. The study builds on prior findings about rapid, unconscious saccade planning to better model natural visual search.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of eye-movement and attention mechanisms could inform ADHD-related strategies for improving visual attention and task performance.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown meaningful insights from saccade research, though applying extended-object stimuli in naturalistic tasks is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
-
State College of Optometry
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mcpeek, Robert M — State College of Optometry
- Study coordinator: Mcpeek, Robert M
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.