How attention and the ability to stop eye movements shape visual search behavior

Contributions of Attentional and Inhibitory Functioning to Saccadic Decisions

Not applicable Interventional University of Colorado, Denver · NCT06587113

This project will see if differences in attention and inhibitory control explain why some adults move their eyes differently while searching, enrolling adults 18–65 with normal or corrected vision and no neurological illness.

Quick facts

PhaseNot applicable
Study typeInterventional
Enrollment225 (estimated)
Ages18 Years to 65 Years
SexAll
SponsorUniversity of Colorado, Denver Academic / other
Locations1 site (Denver, Colorado)
Trial IDNCT06587113 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

Participants complete a series of behavioral eye-tracking tasks while their eye movements are recorded. In a visual search task they look for targets and researchers measure fixation durations, saccades, and other eye movement features. A peripheral detection task (useful field of view) measures attentional reach across the visual field, and a stop-signal paradigm measures the ability to inhibit planned eye movements. Comparing performance across these tasks will identify how attention and inhibition contribute to between-person differences in search behavior.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults aged 18–65 with normal or corrected-to-normal vision and no history of neurological illness who are comfortable completing computer-based eye-tracking tasks.

Not a fit: People with uncontrolled or uncorrected vision problems, a history of neurological disease, children, or those seeking clinical treatment rather than participation in basic research are unlikely to benefit directly.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help clinicians and researchers better characterize attention and inhibition differences and ultimately inform personalized approaches to diagnosing or remediating attention-related problems.

How similar studies have performed: Eye-tracking, peripheral detection, and stop-signal methods are well-established and have produced reliable findings, but combining them to explain individual differences in natural visual search is a relatively new approach.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* 18-65 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

* Self-reported history of neurological illness
* Uncorrected vision problems

Where this trial is running

Denver, Colorado

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions Eye MovementsAttentionExecutive FunctionIndividual differencesEye movementsPerceptionInhibition
Last reviewed 2026-06-15 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.