Young infants’ eye movements over “natural” scenes and “experimental” scenes

▶ Eye movements of 30 4-month-olds were tracked as infants viewed animals and vehicles in “natural” scenes and, for comparison, in homogeneous “experimental” scenes. ▶ Infants showed equivalent looking time preferences for natural and experimental scenes overall. ▶ Infants fixated natural scenes and objects in natural scenes more than experimental scenes and objects in experimental scenes. ▶ Infants shifted fixations between objects and contexts more in natural than in experimental scenes. ▶ Infants treat objects and contexts in natural scenes and more commonly used experimental scenes differently. Eye movements of 30 4-month-olds were tracked as infants viewed animals and vehicles in “natural” scenes and, for comparison, in homogeneous “experimental” scenes. Infants showed equivalent looking time preferences for natural and experimental scenes overall, but fixated natural scenes and objects in natural scenes more than experimental scenes and objects in experimental scenes and shifted fixations between objects and contexts more in natural than in experimental scenes. The findings show how infants treat objects and contexts in natural scenes and suggest that they treat more commonly used experimental scenes differently.