Newborns enter the world with limited vision, only able to see objects 8 to 15 inches away. However, research shows that even with their poor eyesight, newborns already show visual preferences and spend more time looking at some things compared to others. Understanding what captures infants’ attention provides insight into early cognitive development.
What do we know about newborn vision?
While newborns can see, their vision is quite blurry and unfocused at first. Here are some key facts about newborn vision:
- Field of vision is very narrow, estimated around 20-30 degrees.
- Can only focus 8 to 15 inches away, about the distance to a caretaker’s face.
- Eyesight is estimated around 20/500 vision at birth.
- Color vision is limited, can only distinguish light/dark, black/white/gray.
- Pupils have limited ability to dilate in response to light.
- Eyes lack coordination, often appear crossed eyed or misaligned.
- Experience rapid visual development in first months.
So while newborn’s vision seems poor compared to older infants and adults, research shows their eyes and brains are primed to start taking in visual information from their first moments of life.
What visual skills do newborns have?
Though limited, newborns come equipped with some key visual abilities:
- Can focus on faces: When presented with face-like patterns, newborns will preferentially gaze at the face images.
- Prefer top-heavy patterns: Newborns have a bias to look at images that are top-heavy, similar to the general shape of a head with eyes/nose at the top.
- Prefer their mother’s face: Within hours of birth, infants show a preference for their mother’s face compared to a stranger’s face.
- Can imitate facial gestures: Newborns will try to mimic facial expressions like sticking out the tongue and opening the mouth.
- Visually track moving objects: Infants can follow slow-moving objects with their eyes.
These inborn skills allow newborns to begin scanning their visual world and interacting with caretakers right away.
What do newborns like to look at most?
Many studies have been done tracking what newborns gaze at most when presented with different visual stimuli. Here is what research shows newborns have a preference for:
1. Human faces
Human faces strongly attract newborns’ attention and hold their interest longer compared to other images. In classic studies, when a human face is shown next to other patterns like a bullseye target, newborns will preferentially look at the face. The orientation of the face is also key. Newborns prefer an upright face looking straight ahead compared to an upside down inverted face.
2. Direct eye contact
Within a face, newborns are particularly drawn to the eyes. When shown faces with eyes directed straight outwards vs. averted to the side, newborns look longer at faces with direct eye contact. The direct gaze seems to signal social interaction and grab their interest.
3. Mother’s face over strangers
Young infants quickly learn to recognize their mother’s face. When shown photos of their mother side-by-side with a stranger’s face, most newborns will preferentially gaze at their mother’s photo. This skill likely aids bonding between mother and child.
4. Slowly moving objects
While newborns have limited ability to track moving objects, studies find they will visually follow slow horizontal motion, such as a person walking by. Dynamic stimuli seem to capture infants’ attention more than static objects.
5. High contrast patterns
Since newborns can’t perceive color yet only black, white, and shades of gray, high contrast black and white images, like a checkerboard pattern, strongly attract their gaze. However, extremely complex patterns with high contrasts may overstimulate them.
6. Curvy lines and contours
Looking at outlines and curved contours is linked to perceiving spatial relationships and developing hand-eye coordination. Newborns show a preference for looking at curved lines and outlines versus straight bars or flat edged shapes.
| Visual Stimulus | Newborn’s Response |
|---|---|
| Human faces | Strong interest, longer looking times |
| Direct eye contact | Increased looking at direct gaze |
| Mother’s face | Preference over stranger’s face |
| Slow horizontal motion | Will visually track movement |
| High contrast patterns | Increased attention to high black/white contrast |
| Curvy lines and contours | Prefer curves over straight lines or flat shapes |
Why do newborns prefer looking at faces?
The human face holds special significance to newborns and attracts their gaze due to both innate preferences and rapid learning. Several factors make faces highly stimulating:
- Face-like patterns: Babies are born with a bias to look at top-heavy, face-like shapes.
- Social interaction: Faces signify social contact important for an infant’s development.
- Communicate emotion: Facial expressions convey emotion and intent.
- Direct gaze: Looking directly signals the face is engaging with the infant.
- Familiar face: Newborns quickly become familiar with their mother’s face.
Looking at caretakers’ faces facilitates bonding, learning, and the beginnings of communication between parent and child. Rapidly recognizing their mother’s face also helps babies distinguish between people who will provide for their needs.
How do newborns’ visual preferences promote development?
While newborns don’t see clearly defined images, the visual interests and biases they display serve an important developmental purpose. Attending to key stimuli in their environment — like faces, movement, and contours — trains the infant brain’s visual pathways and perception.
Here are some ways newborns’ visual preferences may promote development:
- Social interaction: Looking at faces starts communication between infant and caretaker.
- Learn about objects: Scanning contours promotes hand-eye coordination and object perception.
- Language development: Noticing mouth shapes builds foundation for speech perception.
- Emotion recognition: Looking at facial expressions teaches reading emotions.
- Bonding: Recognizing mother’s face facilitates attachment and security.
Newborns come prepared with the basic visual skills needed to start making sense of the world around them from the moment they are born. Their preferences bias them to look at socially relevant stimuli like people’s faces that enhance their growth and learning.
When does newborn vision develop further?
While newborns can only see limited distances with poor visual acuity, their eyesight rapidly improves over the first months of life:
- 1 month: Focus improves to see farther away, about 1-2 feet.
- 2 months: Starts to develop color vision as cones in retina become more sensitive.
- 3-4 months: Visual acuity increases to 20/100, starts reaching for objects.
- 6 months: Can perceive depth/3D, hand-eye coordination improves.
Vision typically reaches 20/20 levels around 6 months, allowing infants to see sharp images across a full visual field. But even from birth, babies actively use the limited vision they have to capture information about the sights and faces that captivate them most.
Conclusion
Newborn infants enter the world with blurry vision only able to see objects held right in front of them. But decades of research on what captures newborns’ gaze reveals their eyes and brains are primed to start learning from the visual world.
Young infants display innate preferences for looking at socially relevant stimuli like human faces and direct eye contact. They also visually favor high contrast patterns and contours that promote visual-spatial development. While newborn vision is limited, their visual interests bias them to look at sights that engage caretakers, aid bonding, and provide an essential foundation for development.