Visual attention to subtitles when viewing a cartoon by deaf and hearing children: an eye-tracking pilot study

Abstract

Watching a subtitled programme is a complex activity, as it entails paying attention to various stimuli simultaneously, some of which are visual (images and subtitles) and others auditory (oral language and background sounds). The aim of this study is to analyse the ocular movement of a group of children including both hearing and deaf children when watching a television cartoon using an eye tracker. The sample comprises 22 children (11 of whom are deaf and 11 of whom are hearing) aged between seven and 11. The results show that both hearing and deaf children spend more time looking at the images than at the subtitles, with the character's lips being the facial feature to which they pay most attention. Participant age and reading speed are variables that significantly affect the degree of attention paid to subtitles: the youngest children with the slowest reading speed lose their attention as the cartoon progresses. However, participants' auditory condition (deaf or hearing) does not show significant differences regarding maintaining attention on subtitles.