@article{181429dcbaf24ca5902f8549a989cf73,
title = "The robustness of eye–mouth index as an eye-tracking metric of social attention in toddlers",
abstract = "Eye-tracking research on social attention in infants and toddlers has included heterogeneous stimuli and analysis techniques. This allows measurement of looking to inner facial features under diverse conditions but restricts across-study comparisons. Eye–mouth index (EMI) is a measure of relative preference for looking to the eyes or mouth, independent of time spent attending to the face. The current study assessed whether EMI was more robust to differences in stimulus type than percent dwell time (PDT) toward the eyes, mouth, and face. Participants were typically developing toddlers aged 18–30 months (N = 58). Stimuli were dynamic videos with single and multiple actors. It was hypothesized that stimulus type would affect PDT to the face, eyes, and mouth, but not EMI. Generalized estimating equations demonstrated that all measures including EMI were influenced by stimulus type. Nevertheless, planned contrasts suggested that EMI was more robust than PDT when comparing heterogeneous stimuli. EMI may allow for a more robust comparison of social attention to inner facial features across eye-tracking studies.",
keywords = "EMI, Eye-tracking, eye–mouth index, social attention, stimuli, stimulus, toddlers, typically developing",
author = "Souter, {Nicholas E.} and Sudha Arunachalam and Luyster, {Rhiannon J.}",
note = "Funding Information: The authors would like to thank Rebecka Henry for her assistance with study design; Madeline Saunders and Molly Atkinson for their assistance with data collection; Alicia Reifler, Marisa Curtis, and Kayla MacKay for their assistance with stimuli creation; Julia Mertens for her guidance in the treatment of eye-tracking data; Sophie Edwards and Kaya LeGrand for their assistance with the reporting of technical information; and Janine Molino for her guidance and assistance in performing statistical analysis. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Research reported in this publication was supported by Emerson College through a Faculty Advancement Fund Grant to Rhiannon J. Luyster and by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01DC016592 awarded to Sudha Arunachalam. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Funding Information: The authors would like to thank Rebecka Henry for her assistance with study design; Madeline Saunders and Molly Atkinson for their assistance with data collection; Alicia Reifler, Marisa Curtis, and Kayla MacKay for their assistance with stimuli creation; Julia Mertens for her guidance in the treatment of eye-tracking data; Sophie Edwards and Kaya LeGrand for their assistance with the reporting of technical information; and Janine Molino for her guidance and assistance in performing statistical analysis. Funding The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Research reported in this publication was supported by Emerson College through a Faculty Advancement Fund Grant to Rhiannon J. Luyster and by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01DC016592 awarded to Sudha Arunachalam. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. ORCID iD Nicholas E. Souter https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0999-1811 Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2019.",
year = "2020",
month = sep,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1177/0165025419885186",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "44",
pages = "469--478",
journal = "International Journal of Behavioral Development",
issn = "0165-0254",
publisher = "SAGE Publications Ltd",
number = "5",
}