scholarly journals Comparison of dogs and humans in visual scanning of social interaction

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (9) ◽  
pp. 150341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heini Törnqvist ◽  
Sanni Somppi ◽  
Aija Koskela ◽  
Christina M. Krause ◽  
Outi Vainio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Social Experiences ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Visual Scanning ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Social Images ◽  
Social Scenes

Previous studies have demonstrated similarities in gazing behaviour of dogs and humans, but comparisons under similar conditions are rare, and little is known about dogs' visual attention to social scenes. Here, we recorded the eye gaze of dogs while they viewed images containing two humans or dogs either interacting socially or facing away: the results were compared with equivalent data measured from humans. Furthermore, we compared the gazing behaviour of two dog and two human populations with different social experiences: family and kennel dogs; dog experts and non-experts. Dogs' gazing behaviour was similar to humans: both species gazed longer at the actors in social interaction than in non-social images. However, humans gazed longer at the actors in dog than human social interaction images, whereas dogs gazed longer at the actors in human than dog social interaction images. Both species also made more saccades between actors in images representing non-conspecifics, which could indicate that processing social interaction of non-conspecifics may be more demanding. Dog experts and non-experts viewed the images very similarly. Kennel dogs viewed images less than family dogs, but otherwise their gazing behaviour did not differ, indicating that the basic processing of social stimuli remains similar regardless of social experiences.

scholarly journals Context Modulates Attention to Faces in Dynamic Social Scenes in Children and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dzmitry A. Kaliukhovich ◽  
Nikolay V. Manyakov ◽  
Abigail Bangerter ◽  
Gahan Pandina
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Orientation ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Adults With Autism ◽  
Social Scenes

AbstractIndividuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been found to view social scenes differently compared to typically developing (TD) peers, but results can vary depending on context and age. We used eye-tracking in children and adults (age 6–63) to assess allocation of visual attention in a dynamic social orientation paradigm previously used only in younger children. The ASD group (n = 94) looked less at the actor’s face compared to TD (n = 38) when they were engaged in activity (mean percentage of looking time, ASD = 30.7% vs TD = 34.9%; Cohen’s d = 0.56; p value < 0.03) or looking at a moving toy (24.5% vs 33.2%; d = 0.65; p value < 0.001). Findings indicate that there are qualitative differences in allocation of visual attention to social stimuli across ages in ASD.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02668991.

scholarly journals Abnormal visual attention to simple social stimuli in 4-month-old infants at high risk for Autism

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Di Giorgio ◽  
Orsola Rosa-Salva ◽  
Elisa Frasnelli ◽  
Antonio Calcagnì ◽  
Marco Lunghi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Visual Preference ◽  
The Social ◽  
Visual Preferences

AbstractDespite an increasing interest in detecting early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), the pathogenesis of the social impairments characterizing ASD is still largely unknown. Atypical visual attention to social stimuli is a potential early marker of the social and communicative deficits of ASD. Some authors hypothesized that such impairments are present from birth, leading to a decline in the subsequent typical functioning of the learning-mechanisms. Others suggested that these early deficits emerge during the transition from subcortically to cortically mediated mechanisms, happening around 2–3 months of age. The present study aimed to provide additional evidence on the origin of the early visual attention disturbance that seems to characterize infants at high risk (HR) for ASD. Four visual preference tasks were used to investigate social attention in 4-month-old HR, compared to low-risk (LR) infants of the same age. Visual attention differences between HR and LR infants emerged only for stimuli depicting a direct eye-gaze, compared to an adverted eye-gaze. Specifically, HR infants showed a significant visual preference for the direct eye-gaze stimulus compared to LR infants, which may indicate a delayed development of the visual preferences normally observed at birth in typically developing infants. No other differences were found between groups. Results are discussed in the light of the hypotheses on the origins of early social visual attention impairments in infants at risk for ASD.

scholarly journals Effect of Methylphenidate for Apathy on Visual Attention Scanning Behavior: a Pilot Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-142
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Chau ◽  
Nathan Herrmann ◽  
Jonathan Chung ◽  
Moshe Eizenman ◽  
Krista L. Lanctôt
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Interquartile Range ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Inventory ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Lower Baseline ◽  
Social Images ◽  
Scanning Behavior ◽  
Tracking Technology

BackgroundThe purpose of this pilot study was to explore the potential of eye-tracking technology in monitoring symptoms and predicting outcomes in apathetic Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients treated with methylphenidate (MTP).MethodsNeuropsychological tests and eye-tracking measurements were completed at baseline and following at least four weeks of treatment with MTP (5–10 mg BID). Eye-movements were measured while patients viewed novel and social stimuli. Cognition, behavior, and apathy were assessed using the Standardized Mini-Mental State Exam (sMMSE), Neuropsychiatric Inventory, and Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES), respectively.ResultsNine patients were included in the analysis (age: median=75, interquartile range=8; sMMSE: median=22, interquartile range=14). Spearman correlations showed that improvement on the AES was associated with increased visual attention towards novel stimuli (ρ7=-0.809, p=.008). Additionally, lower baseline attention towards social images was associated with improvement on the AES (ρ7=0.905, p=.001).ConclusionsEye-tracking techniques can be developed as an objective and nonverbal method of monitoring symptoms and treatment outcomes in AD patients.

Visual attention to social stimuli in 4-month-old infants at high risk for Autism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Di Giorgio ◽  
Orsola Rosa-Salva ◽  
Elisa Frasnelli ◽  
antonio calcagnì ◽  
Marco Lunghi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
Social Impairments ◽  
The Social ◽  
High Risk Infants

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are well-known early onset, neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by qualitative impairments in social communication and interaction, and by restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped behaviors, interests and activities. An increasing interest in timely detection of ASD red flags has emerged, mostly driven by the insight that early identification is a fundamental prerequisite for early intervention (Rogers et al., 2014; Venkataraman et al., 2016). Nevertheless, the pathogenesis of the social impairments that characterizes ASD is still largely unknown.Reduced early orienting and attention to social stimuli, such as faces or eye-gaze, but also biological motion, have been hypothesized to play a crucial role in the development of social impairments found in ASD (Hedger et al., 2020). These early signs are thought to have cascading effects on the typical development of the social brain network (Johnson, 2015), restricting the infants’ exposure to typical social interaction and, consequently, interfering with the emergence of critical developmental milestones relevant for adequate social cognition and communication capabilities. Within this theoretical framework, the present study sought to provide additional evidence on the origin of the early visual attention disturbance that seems to characterize at-high risk infants for ASD (e.g., siblings of children with ASD) within the first 4-5 months of life.

scholarly journals Selective Changes in Complexity of Visual Scanning for Social Stimuli in Infancy

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Przemysław Tomalski ◽  
David López Pérez ◽  
Alicja Radkowska ◽  
Anna Malinowska-Korczak
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Repeated Sequences ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Developmental Changes ◽  
Visual Scanning ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Quantification Analysis ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Social Scenes

In the 1st year of life, infants gradually gain the ability to control their eye movements and explore visual scenes, which support their learning and emerging cognitive skills. These gains include domain-general skills such as rapid orienting or attention disengagement as well as domain-specific ones such as increased sensitivity to social stimuli. However, it remains unknown whether these developmental changes in what infants fixate and for how long in naturalistic scenes lead to the emergence of more complex, repeated sequences of fixations, especially when viewing human figures and faces, and whether these changes are related to improvements in domain-general attentional skills. Here we tested longitudinally the developmental changes in the complexity of fixation sequences at 5.5 and 11 months of age using Recurrence Quantification Analysis. We measured changes in how fixations recur in the same location and changes in the patterns (repeated sequences) of fixations in social and non-social scenes that were either static or dynamic. We found more complex patterns (i.e., repeated and longer sequences) of fixations in social than non-social scenes, both static and dynamic. There was also an age-related increase in the length of repeated fixation sequences only for social static scenes, which was independent of individual differences in orienting and attention disengagement. Our results can be interpreted as evidence for fine-tuning of infants' visual scanning skills. They selectively produce longer and more complex sequences of fixations on faces and bodies before reaching the end of the 1st year of life.

scholarly journals Brief Report: Preferred Processing of Social Stimuli in Autism: A Perception Task

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Meermeier ◽  
M. Jording ◽  
Y. Alayoubi ◽  
David H. V. Vogel ◽  
K. Vogeley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Exploratory Analysis ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Perception Task ◽  
Social Images

AbstractIn this study we investigate whether persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) perceive social images differently than control participants (CON) in a graded perception task in which stimuli emerged from noise before dissipating into noise again. We presented either social stimuli (humans) or non-social stimuli (objects or animals). ASD were slower to recognize images during their emergence, but as fast as CON when indicating the dissipation of the image irrespective of its content. Social stimuli were recognized faster and remained discernable longer in both diagnostic groups. Thus, ASD participants show a largely intact preference for the processing of social images. An exploratory analysis of response subsets reveals subtle differences between groups that could be investigated in future studies.

scholarly journals A Unique Visual Attention Profile Associated With the FMR1 Premutation

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly Winston ◽  
Kritika Nayar ◽  
Emily Landau ◽  
Nell Maltman ◽  
John Sideris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Fragile X ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Fmr1 Premutation ◽  
Tracking Tasks ◽  
Neurocognitive Profile ◽  
Areas Of Interest

Atypical visual attention patterns have been observed among carriers of the fragile X mental retardation gene (FMR1) premutation (PM), with some similarities to visual attention patterns observed in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and among clinically unaffected relatives of individuals with ASD. Patterns of visual attention could constitute biomarkers that can help to inform the neurocognitive profile of the PM, and that potentially span diagnostic boundaries. This study examined patterns of eye movement across an array of fixation measurements from three distinct eye-tracking tasks in order to investigate potentially overlapping profiles of visual attention among PM carriers, ASD parents, and parent controls. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine whether variables constituting a PM-specific looking profile were able to effectively predict group membership. Participants included 65PM female carriers, 188 ASD parents, and 84 parent controls. Analyses of fixations across the eye-tracking tasks, and their corresponding areas of interest, revealed a distinct visual attention pattern in carriers of the FMR1 PM, characterized by increased fixations on the mouth when viewing faces, more intense focus on bodies in socially complex scenes, and decreased fixations on salient characters and faces while narrating a wordless picture book. This set of variables was able to successfully differentiate individuals with the PM from controls (Sensitivity = 0.76, Specificity = 0.85, Accuracy = 0.77) as well as from ASD parents (Sensitivity = 0.70, Specificity = 0.80, Accuracy = 0.72), but did not show a strong distinction between ASD parents and controls (Accuracy = 0.62), indicating that this set of variables comprises a profile that is unique to PM carriers. Regarding predictive power, fixations toward the mouth when viewing faces was able to differentiate PM carriers from both ASD parents and controls, whereas fixations toward other social stimuli did not differentiate PM carriers from ASD parents, highlighting some overlap in visual attention patterns that could point toward shared neurobiological mechanisms. Results demonstrate a profile of visual attention that appears strongly associated with the FMR1 PM in women, and may constitute a meaningful biomarker.

Attention-Aware Robotic Laparoscope Based on Fuzzy Interpretation of Eye-Gaze Patterns

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Songpo Li ◽  
Xiaoli Zhang ◽  
Fernando J. Kim ◽  
Rodrigo Donalisio da Silva ◽  
Diedra Gustafson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuzzy Logic ◽  
Eye Movements ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Medical Practice ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Robot Interaction ◽  
Gaze Patterns ◽  
Modern Medical Practice

Laparoscopic robots have been widely adopted in modern medical practice. However, explicitly interacting with these robots may increase the physical and cognitive load on the surgeon. An attention-aware robotic laparoscope system has been developed to free the surgeon from the technical limitations of visualization through the laparoscope. This system can implicitly recognize the surgeon's visual attention by interpreting the surgeon's natural eye movements using fuzzy logic and then automatically steer the laparoscope to focus on that viewing target. Experimental results show that this system can make the surgeon–robot interaction more effective, intuitive, and has the potential to make the execution of the surgery smoother and faster.

scholarly journals What you see is what you get: visual scanning failures of naturalistic social scenes in schizophrenia

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Gaurav H. Patel ◽  
Sophie C. Arkin ◽  
Daniel R. Ruiz-Betancourt ◽  
Heloise M. DeBaun ◽  
Nicole E. Strauss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Peripheral Vision ◽  
Visual Scanning ◽  
Facial Motion ◽  
Video Clips ◽  
Social Scene ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Social Scenes

Abstract Background Impairments in social cognition contribute significantly to disability in schizophrenia patients (SzP). Perception of facial expressions is critical for social cognition. Intact perception requires an individual to visually scan a complex dynamic social scene for transiently moving facial expressions that may be relevant for understanding the scene. The relationship of visual scanning for these facial expressions and social cognition remains unknown. Methods In 39 SzP and 27 healthy controls (HC), we used eye-tracking to examine the relationship between performance on The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), which tests social cognition using naturalistic video clips of social situations, and visual scanning, measuring each individual's relative to the mean of HC. We then examined the relationship of visual scanning to the specific visual features (motion, contrast, luminance, faces) within the video clips. Results TASIT performance was significantly impaired in SzP for trials involving sarcasm (p < 10−5). Visual scanning was significantly more variable in SzP than HC (p < 10−6), and predicted TASIT performance in HC (p = 0.02) but not SzP (p = 0.91), differing significantly between groups (p = 0.04). During the visual scanning, SzP were less likely to be viewing faces (p = 0.0001) and less likely to saccade to facial motion in peripheral vision (p = 0.008). Conclusions SzP show highly significant deficits in the use of visual scanning of naturalistic social scenes to inform social cognition. Alterations in visual scanning patterns may originate from impaired processing of facial motion within peripheral vision. Overall, these results highlight the utility of naturalistic stimuli in the study of social cognition deficits in schizophrenia.

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