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Eye contact is essential for human interactions. We investigated whether humans are able to avoid eye contact while navigating crowds. At a science festival, we fitted 62 participants with a wearable eye tracker and instructed them to walk a route. Half of the participants were further instructed to avoid eye contact. We report that humans can flexibly allocate their gaze while navigating crowds and avoid eye contact primarily by orienting their head and eyes towards the floor. We discuss implications for crowd navigation and gaze behavior. In addition, we address a number of issues encountered in such field studies with regard to data quality, control of the environment, and participant adherence to instructions. We stress that methodological innovation and scientific progress are strongly interrelated. ispartof: ATTENTION PERCEPTION & PSYCHOPHYSICS vol:84 issue:8 pages:2623-2640 ispartof: location:United States status: published

There is a long history of interest in looking behavior during human interaction. With the advance of (wearable) video-based eye trackers, it has become possible to measure gaze during many different interactions, even in challenging situations, such as during interactions between young children and their caregivers. We outline the different types of eye-tracking setups that currently exist to investigate gaze during interaction. The setups differ mainly with regard to the nature of the eye-tracking signal (head- or world-centered) and the freedom of movement allowed for the participants (see Figure 1). These crucial, yet often overlooked features place constraints on the research questions that can be answered about human interaction. Furthermore, recent developments in machine learning have made available the measurement of gaze directly from video recordings, without the need for specialized eye-tracking hardware, widening the spectrum of possible eye-tracking setups. We discuss the link between type of eye-tracking setup and the research question being investigated, and end with a decision tree to help researchers judge the appropriateness of specific setups (see Figure 2).

Funder: H2020 European Research Council; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100010663, Funder: Research Foundation Flanders, Funder: Universiteit Gent; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004385, Funder: Marguerite-Marie Delacroix, Funder: Autistica; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100011706, Funder: Riksbankens Jubileumsfond; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004472; Grant(s): NHS14-1802:1, Funder: K.F. Hein Fonds, Funder: Scott Family Junior Research Fellowship, Autism is frequently associated with difficulties with top-down attentional control, which impact on individuals’ mental health and quality of life. The developmental processes involved in these attentional difficulties are not well understood. Using a data-driven approach, 2 samples (N = 294 and 412) of infants at elevated and typical likelihood of autism were grouped according to profiles of parent report of attention at 10, 15 and 25 months. In contrast to the normative profile of increases in attentional control scores between infancy and toddlerhood, a minority (7–9%) showed plateauing attentional control scores between 10 and 25 months. Consistent with pre-registered hypotheses, plateaued growth of attentional control was associated with elevated autism and ADHD traits, and lower adaptive functioning at age 3 years.

To identify the broader autism phenotype (BAP), the Family History Interview subject and informant versions and an observational tool (Impression of Interviewee), were developed. This study investigated whether the instruments differentiated between parents of children with autism, and parents of children with Down syndrome (DS). The BAP scores of parents of 28 multiplex autism families were compared with parents from, 32 DS families. The BAP measures provided good group differentiation but when considered together, the subject interview did not improve group differentiation. The differentiation was better for fathers than mothers. The measures do carry an important degree of validity; whether they can differentiate the BAP from other social disorders should be tested.

While cortical thinning has been associated with HIV infection, it is unclear whether this reflects a direct effect of the virus, whether it is related to disruption of subcortical function or whether it is better explained by epiphenomena, such as drug abuse or comorbid medical conditions. The present study investigated the relationship between cortical thickness and subcortical function in HIV+ patients. Specifically, we examined the relationship between prefrontal cortical thickness and striatal function. Twenty-three largely treatment naïve, non-substance abusing HIV+ participants and 19 healthy controls matched for age, gender, and educational status were included. Cortical morphometry was performed using FreeSurfer software analysis. Striatal function was measured during an fMRI stop-signal anticipation task known to engage the striatum. Any cortical regions showing significant thinning were entered as dependent variables into a single linear regression model which included subcortical function, age, CD4 count, and a measure of global cognitive performance as independent predictors. The only cortical region that was significantly reduced after correction for multiple comparisons was the right superior frontal gyrus. Striatal activity was found to independently predict superior frontal gyral cortical thickness. While cortical thinning in HIV infection is likely multifactorial, viral induced subcortical dysfunction appears to play a role.