Theme: perceptual factors in the face and autism
The main theme of the research has been on the role of low-level, perceptual factors in face and emotion processing, and Chantal Kemner is one of the first to assess this especially in relation to autism. The work indicates that problems in social interaction, such as those seen in autism, are not directly the result of relatively circumscribed abnormalities in development of the social brain. Instead, such problems are related to abnormal perceptual processing. It also shows that the development of the social brain is critically dependent on maturation of specific visual functions. These effects are the base for current studies that aim to determine in more detail the relation between development of visual function, face processing and social functioning in infants and young children, both with respect to normal development and autism.

Combining different approaches of research
Chantal Kemner’s work has a neurocognitive character and combines approaches from vision research with studies on the development of the social brain, in relation to both normal development as well as psychopathology. The techniques used in her group involve the assessment of behaviour in children and adults, including eye tracking, and brain activity, mostly by measuring EEG activity.