Sensitivity to Eye Contact in Typical Adults
Typical adults can detect differences of 1–2 in the direction of someone else’s gaze toward objects in the environment. However, the range of directions of gaze over which adults judge that an observer is looking directly at them (called the ‘‘cone of gaze’’) is much larger, at approximately 5.5 in width and 7 in height. Failure to attribute eye contact when a someone else’s gaze is directed toward oneself could result in social costs (e.g., missed opportunities to interact with others). Typical adults’ tendency to attribute eye contact over a relatively large range of directions of gaze could serve to minimize these costs.