ABSTRACT
One proposed explanation for the developmental progression of gaze-following is that it is controlled by different attentional mechanisms at different ages. Conceptualizing gaze-following in terms of the capacity of adult gaze direction to control attention has prompted the development of computerized paradigms for examining attentional cueing by gaze direction. In comparing the traditional gaze-following paradigm with the more recent gaze cueing paradigm, the most obvious difference is that the former involves face-to-face interaction with an experimenter and the latter involves viewing and reacting to stimuli on a computer screen. Gaze cues preceded by closed eyes are labeled "static" and those preceded by open eyes are labeled "animated." The distinction between animated and static conditions was whether the eyes were closed or open immediately before the gaze shift. The bilateral experiments in the present research provide evidence for both sides of the debate over the role of apparent motion in gaze cues.
