Summary: A new study shows that the precise sequence of eye movements — not simply making eye contact — significantly affects how we interpret social signals, even when interacting with robots. Researchers found that the most compelling signal of a request for help was the pattern of looking at an object, then establishing eye contact, then looking back at the same object.
That particular gaze sequence produced the same response whether the partner looked human or robotic, underlining how sensitive people are to contextual patterns of gaze. These results have practical implications for designing social robots, virtual assistants, and training programs that rely on non-verbal communication.
Key Facts:
- Best Sequence: A gaze–eye contact–gaze sequence most clearly signals a request for help.
- Human or Robot: Participants responded similarly to the gaze sequence whether it came from a human-like or humanoid agent.
- Practical Impact: The findings can guide development of social robots, virtual assistants, and non-verbal communication training in varied environments.
Source: Flinders University
For the first time, researchers have identified how the timing and order of eye contact shape our interpretation of communicative intent — a discovery that applies equally to human and robotic agents.
Led by cognitive neuroscientist Dr Nathan Caruana, the HAVIC Lab at Flinders University studied 137 participants who took part in a block-building task with a virtual partner. The experiment manipulated where and when the partner looked, varying the presence, frequency, and sequence of eye contact across conditions to see which patterns people interpreted as communicative requests.
The team discovered that participants were most likely to interpret a gaze as a request for help when eye contact occurred between two averted glances toward the same object — essentially, look at object → make eye contact → look back at object. This temporal context made the gaze appear communicative and urgent, leading observers to act more quickly and consistently.
Dr Caruana explains that the results reveal how important context is for interpreting gaze: it’s not only about how often someone looks at you or whether they look at you last, but when that eye contact happens relative to other gaze shifts. The pattern itself carries meaning.
Remarkably, participants interpreted these gaze patterns in the same way whether the agent looked human or like a humanoid robot. That finding suggests our perceptual system is broadly attuned to social signals across different kinds of agents, and that robots or virtual agents can leverage human-like gaze patterns to communicate effectively.
The practical applications are wide-ranging. Designers of social robots and virtual assistants can program gaze sequences that feel natural and obvious to users, improving collaboration in schools, workplaces, and homes. Trainers working in sports, emergency response, and noisy environments could use these insights to refine non-verbal communication strategies. The research may also support people who rely heavily on visual cues, such as those who are deaf or autistic, by clarifying which gaze patterns are most likely to be interpreted as requests or prompts.
The HAVIC Lab is extending this line of work to explore other aspects of gaze that influence interpretation, including the duration of eye contact, repeated looks, and how beliefs about the partner’s nature (human, AI-driven, or computer-controlled) affect responses. Current applied studies are investigating how people perceive and interact with social robots in education and manufacturing contexts.
“These subtle signals are the building blocks of social connection,” says Dr Caruana. “By understanding them better, we can design technology and training that help people communicate more clearly and confidently.”
The HAVIC Lab is affiliated with the Flinders Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing and is a founding partner of the Flinders Autism Research Initiative.
About this robotics and social neuroscience research news
Author: Yaz Dedovic
Source: Flinders University
Contact: Yaz Dedovic – Flinders University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“The temporal context of eye contact influences perceptions of communicative intent” by Nathan Caruana et al., published in Royal Society Open Science (DOI: 10.1098/rsos.250277).
Abstract
The temporal context of eye contact influences perceptions of communicative intent
This study examined the perceptual dynamics that shape whether eye contact is seen as a communicative display. Participants (n = 137) completed a task deciding if agents were simply inspecting objects or requesting one of three objects. Each agent shifted gaze three times per trial, while the presence, frequency, and sequence of eye contact displays were manipulated across six conditions.
Significant differences were observed across gaze conditions. Participants were most likely, and fastest, to perceive a request when eye contact occurred between two averted gaze shifts toward the same object. These results indicate that the temporal relationship between eye contact and averted gaze — rather than sheer frequency or recency of looking — determines how communicative potency is judged.
Comparable effects appeared whether agents looked human or humanoid, suggesting gaze evaluations are broadly tuned across a range of social stimuli. The findings move gaze perception research beyond studies that focus on single, static gaze cues and offer guidance for engineering gaze behaviours in artificial agents to support natural, intuitive social interactions.