The Study of Eye Movements in Empirical Aesthetics

Abstract

AbstractKnowledge obtained using eye-tracking techniques has for many years contributed in a major way to the development of contemporary information processing-based models that detail the mechanisms and processes underlying the perception of visual art. The purpose of this chapter is to present an overview of the findings of recent eye movement studies designed to expand the body of knowledge concerning the complex dynamic interaction among contemporary person–artifact–context relational models and the interplay between top-down and bottom-up influences across the time course of an aesthetic experience with art. Huge leaps in our knowledge of the interaction of these components have occurred in recent years as a consequence of the development of new methods for the visualization and analyses of eye movement data and the use of mobile eye-tracking techniques described in this chapter.