Understanding how infants learn to control their gaze through experience and brain development

Eye tracking and computational approaches to understand the roles of maturation and experience in infant looking

NIH-funded research University of California at Davis · NIH-10898543

This study is looking at how babies use their eyes to explore the world around them and how their growing brains help them do this, so we can better understand how they learn to pay attention to things they see.

Quick facts

Grant typeFellowship grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of California at Davis NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Davis, United States)
Project IDNIH-10898543 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

This research investigates how infants use their eyes to learn about their surroundings and how their brain development influences this process. By observing infants' looking behaviors at various familiar and unfamiliar objects, the study aims to determine the balance between natural brain maturation and individual experiences in gaze control. The researchers will employ traditional eye tracking methods alongside advanced computational models to analyze these behaviors. The findings could enhance our understanding of visual attention development in infants and inform future assessments and interventions.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates for participation are infants under one year old who are being observed for their visual attention and gaze control.

Not a fit: Patients who are older than one year or those with significant visual impairments may not benefit from this research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved strategies for supporting visual attention development in infants.

How similar studies have performed: Previous research has shown promising results in understanding visual attention through eye tracking and computational modeling, making this approach both innovative and grounded in established methods.

Where this research is happening

Davis, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.