Do infants' gaze sequences predict their looking time? Testing the sequential-learnability model

We recently demonstrated that the gaze sequences produced by infants during an habituation event predict their looking times to both the habituation and (one of two) posthabituation test events [1]. Specifically, we trained a simple recurrent network (SRN) to predict infants' habituation gaze sequences. Sequences that were easier for the SRN to learn were associated with shorter looking times at the end of habituation, as well as longer looking times to one of two posthabituation test events. In the current study, we extended these findings by applying the sequential-learnability model to a new set of looking-time data, in which an important visual cue was removed from the habituation and test events. Following our previous work, we predicted that “learnability” of infants' habituation gaze sequences would predict their habituation looking time. However, unlike the previous study, we also predicted that habituation gaze sequences would not predict looking time to either of the posthabituation test events. The results were consistent with both of these predictions.