U Mass Medical School IDDRC
Shared Eye Tracking Facilities
Carol Curtin, Jean Frazier & Ed Ginns, Clinical and Translational Research Support Core Co-Directors
The IDDRC Eye Tracking Facilities include:
ISCAN PCI Pupil/Corneal Reflection Tracking Systems (ISCAN Corp., Woburn, MA)- Head-mounted imaging systems located in satellite laboratories
- Free-head remote imaging systems, including one available for field use in the Mobile CORE
These eye tracking systems allow IDDRC researchers to noninvasively observe, record, and analyze research participants’ visual fixations in real time.
Head-mounted systems
Two of the apparatuses are equipped with head-mounted imaging systems consisting of light-weight miniature video cameras and an infrared light source, all mounted on a plastic visor.
Free-head systems
The Facility also includes two free-head remote imaging systems. Each consists of an eye camera and infrared light source mounted on computer-driven pan/tilt controls mounted below a stimulus presentation monitor that is connected to a data acquisition PC. The system automatically adjusts the eye camera to compensate for changes in the participant’s head position. Multiple and overlapping areas of interest can be defined for each experimental image for later analysis.
After an initial brief calibration period, both the head-mounted and free-head imaging systems afford the participant a free range of head movements, require no stereotactic restriction, and do not block the participant’s field of view. The systems are therefore appropriate for use with individuals with a broad range of developmental levels.
Participating Researchers:
William V. Dube, Ph.D.
William J. McIlvane, Ph.D.
Teresa V. Mitchell, Ph.D.
Richard W. Serna, Ph.D.
Krista M. Wilkinson, Ph.D.
Chata A. Dickson, Ph.D. (New England Center for Children, Southborough, MA)
Gerson Y. Tomanari, Ph.D. (University of São Paulo, Brazil)
Special thanks to: Rikki Razdan and Alan Kielar (ISCAN, Inc.), Protestant Guild Learning Center, New England Center for Children, Lyn Balsamo, Tom Fowler, Kevin Farren, Kristin Lombard O’Donnell, and Emily Wheeler.
Ongoing Research Projects:
The Balance Between Top-Down & Bottom-Up Attentional Processes in Autism
Stimulus Structure Enhancement of Visual Symbol Detection in AAC
Guiding Visual Attention to Enhance Discrimination Learning
Behavioral and Sensory Evaluation of Auditory Discrimination in Autism
Stimulus Overselectivity and Contingency Analyses of Observing and Attending in Intellectual Disabilities