The way a newborn gazes may have something to do with how his or her behavior will turn out later on, according to a new study.
Researchers from Birbeck, University of London said that a newborn's gaze will predict if the baby will grow up into a hyperactive child.
To investigate the theory, the researchers tested 80 newborn babies between one and four days old. The study involved measuring how long the babies will keep their focus on a certain image.
These babies were then followed for years and when they were between three and 10 years old, parents were asked to answer some questions pertaining to their kid's behavior.
Researchers have found that babies who tend to focus on an image for a short period of time were more likely to become hyperactive during the childhood stages, when compared to babies who hold their gaze on the image for longer periods.
"We were ... struck that differences between newborns in their visual attention predicted how the children would behave when they were older," said study author Angelica Ronald, according to a Live Science report.
Researchers also found that children who have shorter focus time tend to exhibit other types of behavioral issues.
They are uncertain as to what body or brain function may be responsible for the effect, but they would like to explore this part of the study in the future.
According to Ronald, the differences found in babies may be due to genetics or the kind of environment they have been exposed to while still inside the womb. She added that a child's ability to focus visually is not just influenced by parental involvement.
Even if the ability to pay attention depends on genetic factors, Ronald said that it is still possible for people to learn how to improve their attention span.
The June 26 published study can be found in the journal Scientific Reports.
