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Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 2, 2026

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm
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Preference for human eyes in human infants.

Eve Dupierrix1, Anne Hillairet de Boisferon1, David Méary1

  • 1Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition, Université Grenoble Alpes, 38040 Grenoble Cedex 9, France.

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|March 4, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Newborns show no preference for human eyes, but infants from 3 months old develop a preference for nonhuman faces with human eyes. This suggests a developing attraction to human eyes in early infancy.

Keywords:
EyeFaceInfantMonkeyNewbornVisual preference

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychology
  • Cognitive neuroscience
  • Infant perception

Background:

  • Early face recognition is crucial for social development.
  • The role of eye-specific features in infant face preference is not fully understood.
  • Previous studies highlight the importance of the eye region in face processing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the presence and development of an attraction to human eyes in infants.
  • To determine if newborns exhibit a preference for human eyes.
  • To track the emergence and stability of this preference during the first year of life.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a preferential looking time paradigm.
  • Presented newborns and infants (3, 6, 9, 12 months) with nonhuman primate faces.
  • Manipulated faces to display either original nonhuman primate eyes or human eyes.

Main Results:

  • Newborns did not show a significant preference between face conditions.
  • A preference for nonhuman primate faces with human eyes emerged by 3 months of age.
  • This preference remained consistent in older infants (3-12 months).

Conclusions:

  • The attraction to human eyes is not present at birth but develops within the first few months.
  • This finding sheds light on the developmental trajectory of face perception and social orienting in infants.
  • The human eye may play a significant role in guiding early social attention.