Eye MovementsNCT06587113
An Investigation of Attentional and Inhibitory Processes During Active Visual Search in Humans
A study testing Contour Search Task, Stop signal Task and Useful field of View in people with Eye Movements and Attention, run by University of Colorado, Denver at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this study is to investigate the finding that there are large individual differences in how participants move their eyes during active visual search. For example, some individuals tend to fixate, that is point their eyes steadily at a single location, for longer than other individuals before moving to… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Eye Movements, Attention, Executive Function
- What is being tested?
- Contour Search Task, Stop signal Task and Useful field of View
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 225 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 15 Sep 2024to 15 May 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 18-65 years old
Who cannot join
- Self-reported history of neurological illness
- Uncorrected vision problems
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Colorado Denver
Denver, Colorado, 80123
Associate Professor, PhD, 303-315-7068, carly.leonard@ucdenver.edu
Ryan V Ringer, PhD, ryan.ringer@ucdenver.edu
About this study
Official title: Contributions of Attentional and Inhibitory Functioning to Saccadic Decisions
The goal of this study is to investigate the finding that there are large individual differences in how participants move their eyes during active visual search. For example, some individuals tend to fixate, that is point their eyes steadily at a single location, for longer than other individuals before moving to another location. This experiment will use behavioral tasks to measure an individual's attentional and inhibitory functioning, and then see how each of these contributes to between-participant variability in eye movement behavior during visual search.
Read the detailed description
To accomplish the goal of understanding the source of individual variability in eye movement patterns, each participant will complete three separate tasks. The first task will require participants to find a target and eye movements will be measured to assess individual differences in fixation duration and other types of eye movement behavior. A second task will evaluate attentional functioning over the visual field by requiring participants to detect briefly-presented targets using their peripheral vision. Finally, a third task will assess inhibitory functioning by having participants attempt to stop eye movements after they have been programmed.
- Conditions
- Eye Movements, Attention, Executive Function
- Being tested
- Contour Search Task, Stop signal Task, Useful field of View, Attentional capture search task
- Keywords
- Individual differences, Eye movements, Perception, Attention, Inhibition
- Medical subject headings
- Inhibition, Psychological
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Contour Search TaskOther
In this task, participants sit in front of a computer screen with their head in a chinrest to control for distance from the monitor and eye-tracking equipment. For the visual search task, participants will search for a visual target among distractors and make a response regarding its orientation. The target is defined by a contour formed through oriented Gabor patches.
Stop signal TaskBehavioural
Also called SST, SSRT
In this task, participants sit in front of a computer screen with their head in a chinrest to control for distance from the monitor and eye-tracking equipment. For the stop-signal task, participants will make an eye movement to a target that appears on the screen, except on trials where a visual signal appears indicating they should cancel this behavior.
Useful field of ViewBehavioural
In this task, participants sit in front of a computer screen with their head in a chinrest to control for distance from the monitor and eye-tracking equipment. In the useful field of view task, participants will report the location of a briefly-presented and masked target, while also responding to the identify of a central target in some blocks.
Attentional capture search taskBehavioural
In this task, participants sit in front of a computer screen with their head in a chinrest to control for distance from the monitor and eye-tracking equipment. For this visual search task, participants will search for a visual target among distractors and make a response regarding its orientation. The target is defined as a unique shape, and is sometimes shown with a salient distractor.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Study Group Contour Search | Experimental | This study examines eye movement behavior using eye-tracking technology. Healthy participants perform three different tasks, including a visual search task, a stop-signal task, and a useful field of view task. Behavioral performance and eye movements are recorded for all tasks. Receives: Other: Contour Search Task; Behavioral: Stop signal Task; Behavioral: Useful field of View |
| Study Group Attentional Capture | Experimental | This study examines eye movement behavior using eye-tracking technology. Healthy participants perform three different tasks, including a visual search task emphasizing distraction, a stop-signal task, and a useful field of view task. Behavioral performance and eye movements are recorded for all tasks. Receives: Behavioral: Stop signal Task; Behavioral: Useful field of View; Behavioral: Attentional capture search task |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
First fixation duration during visual search
This measure is the average first fixation duration during the visual search task. Possible scores are a minimum of 50 ms with an undeterminable positive number of ms as a maximum. This measure indicates the duration of processing before the first eye movement decision.
Measured: During visual search task
Fixation count during visual search
This measure is the count the average number of eye movements participants made per trial during the visual search task. Possible scores range from a minimum of 0 to approximately 40 eye movements, given the time available. This measure indicates the amount of active exploration of the display during search.
Measured: During visual search task
Stop signal reaction time
Stop signal reaction time is a quantitative estimate of how long participants take to successfully inhibit a planned eye movement. Possible scores range from a minimum of 0 ms to a maximum of about 600 ms. Low scores indicate strong inhibitory ability and high scores indicate weak inhibitory ability.
Measured: During inhibitory task
Useful field of view thresholding
Performance in a thresholding task indicates participants ability to detect a briefly presented target among distractors with 80% accuracy. Contrast of the displays varies until performance meets achieved level. Possible scores range from 0 to 100% contrast. Lower contrast indicates better information accrual, while higher contrast indicates worse.
Measured: During attention task
Useful field of view dual task performance
Performance in a dual task indicates participants ability to spread attention across the visual field. Possible scores range from 0 to 100% accuracy. Higher performance indicates better information accrual, while lower performance indicates worse.
Measured: During attention task
Oculomotor capture by salient distractor
in the attentional capture search task, a measure of how often participants look at the salient yet irrelevant distractor will be calculated.
Measured: During visual search task
Secondary outcomes (1)
Average fixation duration during visual search
This measure is the average fixation duration across all fixations in a trial during the visual search task. Possible scores range from a minimum of 50 ms to approximately 500 ms. This measure indicates the average duration of processing before a saccadic decision is made.
Measured: During the visual search task
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 Sep 2024
- Study start15 Sep 2024
- Primary completion15 May 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion15 May 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Eye MovementsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of Colorado, DenverThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Basic Experimental Studies Involving Humans (BESH)
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 225 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Colorado, Denver
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Eye Institute (NEI)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Carly J Leonard, Phd, Principal investigator, University of Colorado enver
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06587113
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 22-1148
- Other IDs
- R15EY035056-01
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 4 Sep 2024
- Last updated
- 20 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Individual data and analysis code will be shared through the Open Science Foundation (OSF) website.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 20 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Contributions of Attentional and Inhibitory Functioning to Saccadic Decisions
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06587113
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 22-1148
- Conditions
- Eye Movements, Attention, Executive Function
- Keywords
- Individual differences, Eye movements, Perception, Attention, Inhibition
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 225 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Colorado, DenverUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Eye Institute (NEI)
- Study start
- 15 Sep 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 15 May 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 15 May 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 19 Sep 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this study is to investigate the finding that there are large individual differences in how participants move their eyes during active visual search. For example, some individuals tend to fixate, that is point their eyes steadily at a single location, for longer than other individuals before moving to another location. This experiment will use behavioral tasks to measure an individual's attentional and inhibitory functioning, and then see how each of these contributes to between-participant variability in eye movement behavior during visual search.
Detailed description
To accomplish the goal of understanding the source of individual variability in eye movement patterns, each participant will complete three separate tasks. The first task will require participants to find a target and eye movements will be measured to assess individual differences in fixation duration and other types of eye movement behavior. A second task will evaluate attentional functioning over the visual field by requiring participants to detect briefly-presented targets using their peripheral vision. Finally, a third task will assess inhibitory functioning by having participants attempt to stop eye movements after they have been programmed.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Basic Experimental Studies Involving Humans (BESH)
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Study Group Contour Search | Experimental | Other: Contour Search Task, Behavioral: Stop signal Task, Behavioral: Useful field of ViewThis study examines eye movement behavior using eye-tracking technology. Healthy participants perform three different tasks, including a visual search task, a stop-signal task, and a useful field of view task. Behavioral performance and eye movements are recorded for all tasks. |
| Study Group Attentional Capture | Experimental | Behavioral: Stop signal Task, Behavioral: Useful field of View, Behavioral: Attentional capture search taskThis study examines eye movement behavior using eye-tracking technology. Healthy participants perform three different tasks, including a visual search task emphasizing distraction, a stop-signal task, and a useful field of view task. Behavioral performance and eye movements are recorded for all tasks. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- 18-65 years old
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Self-reported history of neurological illness
- Uncorrected vision problems
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Contour Search TaskIn this task, participants sit in front of a computer screen with their head in a chinrest to control for distance from the monitor and eye-tracking equipment. For the visual search task, participants will search for a visual target among distractors and make a response regarding its orientation. The target is defined by a contour formed through oriented Gabor patches. | Other | Study Group Contour Search |
| Stop signal TaskAlso: SST, SSRTIn this task, participants sit in front of a computer screen with their head in a chinrest to control for distance from the monitor and eye-tracking equipment. For the stop-signal task, participants will make an eye movement to a target that appears on the screen, except on trials where a visual signal appears indicating they should cancel this behavior. | Behavioural | Study Group Attentional Capture, Study Group Contour Search |
| Useful field of ViewIn this task, participants sit in front of a computer screen with their head in a chinrest to control for distance from the monitor and eye-tracking equipment. In the useful field of view task, participants will report the location of a briefly-presented and masked target, while also responding to the identify of a central target in some blocks. | Behavioural | Study Group Attentional Capture, Study Group Contour Search |
| Attentional capture search taskIn this task, participants sit in front of a computer screen with their head in a chinrest to control for distance from the monitor and eye-tracking equipment. For this visual search task, participants will search for a visual target among distractors and make a response regarding its orientation. The target is defined as a unique shape, and is sometimes shown with a salient distractor. | Behavioural | Study Group Attentional Capture |
Primary outcome
First fixation duration during visual search
Time frame: During visual search task
This measure is the average first fixation duration during the visual search task. Possible scores are a minimum of 50 ms with an undeterminable positive number of ms as a maximum. This measure indicates the duration of processing before the first eye movement decision.
Fixation count during visual search
Time frame: During visual search task
This measure is the count the average number of eye movements participants made per trial during the visual search task. Possible scores range from a minimum of 0 to approximately 40 eye movements, given the time available. This measure indicates the amount of active exploration of the display during search.
Stop signal reaction time
Time frame: During inhibitory task
Stop signal reaction time is a quantitative estimate of how long participants take to successfully inhibit a planned eye movement. Possible scores range from a minimum of 0 ms to a maximum of about 600 ms. Low scores indicate strong inhibitory ability and high scores indicate weak inhibitory ability.
Useful field of view thresholding
Time frame: During attention task
Performance in a thresholding task indicates participants ability to detect a briefly presented target among distractors with 80% accuracy. Contrast of the displays varies until performance meets achieved level. Possible scores range from 0 to 100% contrast. Lower contrast indicates better information accrual, while higher contrast indicates worse.
Useful field of view dual task performance
Time frame: During attention task
Performance in a dual task indicates participants ability to spread attention across the visual field. Possible scores range from 0 to 100% accuracy. Higher performance indicates better information accrual, while lower performance indicates worse.
Oculomotor capture by salient distractor
Time frame: During visual search task
in the attentional capture search task, a measure of how often participants look at the salient yet irrelevant distractor will be calculated.
1 secondary outcome
Average fixation duration during visual search
Time frame: During the visual search task
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 20 Feb 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Individual data and analysis code will be shared through the Open Science Foundation (OSF) website.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Carly J Leonard, Phd principal investigator
University of Colorado enver
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Contour Search Task, Stop signal Task and Useful field of View in people with Eye Movements and Attention, run by University of Colorado, Denver at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 20 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Carly J Principal Investigator, PhD (303-315-7068, carly.leonard@ucdenver.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
First fixation duration during visual search (time frame: During visual search task). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 20 Feb 2026.