Patterns of gaze fixations to social and non-social stimuli in high-risk and low-risk infants
Under the guidance of Dr. Madhavilatha Maganti, this project is developing objective measures to assess infants’ neural functioning and cognitive development, aiming to create tools for the early identification of cognitive deficits in high-risk infants.
For such assessments to be effective, they must enable deep data collection while being affordable, portable, quick, culturally neutral, and easy to administer without requiring extensive training for experimenters. Eye tracking is emerging as an ideal solution, particularly for infants younger than nine months, as it relies on visual attention rather than motor skills, which can be underdeveloped in high-risk populations.
The study is analysing gaze fixations in both high-risk (preterm and small-for-gestational-age) and low-risk (typically developing) infants at 3, 6, and 9 months of age, using data from 450 infants collected at the Infant Lab at Dr. RML Hospital, Delhi. By examining patterns of eye movements, researchers are working to identify early markers of cognitive differences and developmental delays, offering critical insights for timely intervention and improved neurodevelopmental outcomes.
