TANGO: A reliable, open-source, browser-based task to assess individual differences in gaze understanding in 3 to 5-year-old children and adults

Abstract

Traditional measures of social cognition used in developmental research often lack satisfactory psychometric properties and are not designed to capture variation between individuals. Here we present TANGO (Task for Assessing iNdividual differences in Gaze understanding - Open); a brief (approx. 5–10min), reliable, open-source task to quantify individual differences in the understanding of gaze cues. Our interactive browser-based task works across devices and enables in-person and remote testing. The implemented spatial layout allows for discrete and continuous measures of participants’ click imprecision and is easily adaptable to different study requirements. Our task measures inter-individual differences in a child (N = 387) and an adult (N = 236) sample. Our two study versions and data collection modes yield comparable results that show substantial developmental gains: the older children are, the more accurately they locate the target. High internal consistency and test–retest reliability estimates underline that the captured variation is systematic. This work shows a promising way forward in studying individual differences in social cognition and will help us explore the structure and development of our core social-cognitive processes in greater detail.

Validation of an open source, remote web‐based eye‐tracking method (WebGazer) for research in early childhood

“…We found that 18‐ to 27‐month‐olds’ goal‐based action predictions—reflected in above‐chance looking toward the location that matches the outcome of an agent's action goal—occurred in our remotely tested sample, replicating results obtained with in‐lab commercial eye‐tracking systems (Schuwerk et al., 2022). This finding shows that web‐based eye tracking can be used successfully to assess children's goal‐based action predictions and is in line with previous studies reporting that moderated web‐based test sessions with children are comparable to in‐lab sessions (Chuey et al., 2021, 2022; Prein et al., 2022; Schidelko et al., 2021). Also, in line with previous remote studies in children, we found no statistically significant age effect (Chuey et al., 2022), suggesting that our web‐based eye‐tracking method may capture anticipatory looking behavior equally well among 18‐ to 27‐month‐olds.…”

Validation of an Open Source, Remote Web-based Eye-tracking Method (WebGazer) for Research in Early Childhood

“…This finding shows that web-based eye tracking can be used successfully to assess children's goal-based action predictions. This finding is in line with previous studies reporting that moderated web-based test sessions with children are comparable to in-lab sessions (Chuey et al, 2021;Chuey et al, 2022;Prein et al, 2022;Schidelko et al, 2021). Also, in line with previous remote studies in children, we found no statistically significant age effect (Chuey et al, 2022), suggesting that our web-based eye-tracking method may capture anticipatory looking behavior equally well among 18-to 27-month-olds.…”

A universal of human social cognition: Children from 17 communities process gaze in similar ways

“…We adapted visuals and audio instructions specifically for each of the 17 communities. Previous work demonstrated excellent individual-level measurement properties for this task in a German sample 39 .…”