VISUAL ART, AS DOMAIN SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN VISUAL STIMULI COMPREHENSION: A META-ANALYTICAL REVIEW OF ART AND NON-ART EXPERTS' EYE FIXATION DURATION

Abstract

Previously published studies show a clear difference between the eye movement patterns of artists and non-artists. However, the findings of some studies show that the duration of eye fixation increases as a result of artistic expertise, while other studies show the opposite. In this meta-analysis, we included the findings from 14 studies in which the effect of artistic expertise on the duration of eye fixation was examined. We also examined the potential moderating effect of task type, level of expertise, the type of stimulus presentation, the task time limit, the sampling rate and gender influence on the effect size. Results from 14 studies were pooled, resulting in a medium effect size (ES) of g = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.24 to 1.03, meaning that eye fixation duration was longer for artists than nonartists. We identified substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 75%, 95% CI: 59 to 85) among studies, but very little evidence for publication bias. None of the investigated study variables were significant moderators of the effect size. These findings suggest that artistic expertise has a significant effect on eye fixation duration. Although the differences are clear between artists and non-artists, other factors that may have influence on the duration of eye fixation remain unclear.