Eye Fixation Durations Research Articles

Quantifying the Impact of Motions on Human Aiming Performance: Evidence from Eye Tracking and Bio-Signals.

Working on a moving platform can significantly impede human performance. Previous studies on moving vehicles have often focused on the overall impact on general task performance, whereas our study's emphasis is on precise hand movements, exploring the interaction between body motion and the escalation of task difficulty. We recruited 28 participants to engage in reciprocal aiming tasks, following Paul Fitts's setting, under both in-motion and stationary conditions. The task index of difficulty (ID) was manipulated by varying the width of the targets and the distance between the targets. We measured participants' movement time (MT), performance errors, and monitored their eye movements using an eye-tracking device, heart rate (HR), and respiration rate (RR) during the tasks. The measured parameters were compared across two experimental conditions and three ID levels. Compared to the stationary conditions, the in-motion conditions degraded human aiming performance, resulting in significantly prolonged MT, increased errors, and longer durations of eye fixations and saccades. Furthermore, HR and RR increased under the in-motion conditions. Linear relationships between MT and ID exhibited steeper slopes under the in-motion conditions compared to the stationary conditions. This study builds a foundation for us to explore the control mechanisms of individuals working in dynamic and demanding environments, such as pilots in airplanes and paramedics in ambulances.

Design Suggestions for Digital Workflow Oriented Desktop VR Spaces

This paper presents an examination of design prin- ciples for 3D Virtual Reality (VR) environments, with a focus on enhancing digital workflows. Employing objective data, the study sets out to clarify the primary design considerations for crafting effective 3D VR spaces. Through empirical research, the authors conducted comparative analyses of task performance within both classical 2D Windows and in 3D VR environmental contexts, exploring users’ perceived difficulty levels alongside eye-tracking data. The findings reveal that, although 3D VR environments rich in distracting elements and demanding high navigational effort increase perceived task difficulty, these factors do not negatively impact overall performance or task completion time. Interestingly, eye-fixation duration results indicate that visual fixation in 3D VR falls within expected norms, whereas in 2D scenarios, fixation rates are significantly higher, more than doubling those observed in 3D settings. Drawing on these insights, the paper supports the design of 3D VR spaces that are simpler and intuitive, necessitating minimal navigation, thereby optimizing task performance efficiency.

Evaluation of bicyclist physiological response and visual attention in commercial vehicle loading zones

IntroductionWith growing freight operations throughout the world, there is a push for transportation systems to accommodate trucks during loading and unloading operations. Currently, many urban locations do not provide loading and unloading zones, which results in trucks parking in places that obstruct bicyclist’s roadway infrastructure (e.g., bicycle lanes). MethodTo understand the implications of these truck operations, a bicycle simulation experiment was designed to evaluate the impact of commercial vehicle loading and unloading activities on safe and efficient bicycle operations in a shared urban roadway environment. A fully counterbalanced, partially randomized, factorial design was chosen to explore three independent variables: commercial vehicle loading zone (CVLZ) sizes with three levels (i.e., no CVLZ, Min CVLZ, and Max CVLZ), courier position with three levels (i.e., no courier, behind the truck, beside the truck), and with and without loading accessories. Bicyclist’s physiological response and eye tracking were used as performance measures. Data were obtained from 48 participants, resulting in 864 observations in 18 experimental scenarios using linear mixed-effects models (LMM). ResultsResults from the LMMs suggest that loading zone size and courier position had the greatest effect on bicyclist’s physiological responses. Bicyclists had approximately two peaks-per-minute higher when riding in the condition that included no CVLZ and courier on the side compared to the base conditions (i.e., Max CVLZ and no courier). Additionally, when the courier was beside the truck, bicyclist’s eye fixation durations (sec) were one (s) greater than when the courier was located behind the truck, indicating that bicyclists were more alert as they passed by the courier. The presence of accessories had the lowest influence on both bicyclists’ physiological response and eye tracking measures. Practical ApplicationsThese findings could support better roadway and CVLZ design guidelines, which will allow our urban street system to operate more efficiently, safely, and reliable for all users.

Comparative Study on 2D and 3D User Interface for Eliminating Cognitive Loads in Augmented Reality Repetitive Tasks

The two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) user interfaces have been a prominent topic of augmented reality (AR) research, and their impact on the efficacy and usability of one-time tasks has been extensively examined. As AR is increasingly adopted in industry for repetitive tasks, there is an urgent need for research into the effect of the 2D and 3D user interfaces. In this study, we developed two prototypes of the user interfaces and conducted a comparison study with forty participants to assess their respective influence on cognitive load, perceived usability, and learnability. The results showed that the two user interfaces differed significantly in cognitive load and perceived usability. In particular, the 3D user interfaces exhibited substantially shorter eye blinking durations, shorter eye fixation durations, less dispersed eye gaze areas, lower subjective ratings of cognitive load, and higher overall scores of perceived usability than the 2D user interfaces. However, there was no difference in learnability between the two user interfaces throughout the repetitive tasks.

Examining how information presentation methods and a chatbot impact the use and effectiveness of electronic health record patient portals: An exploratory study

ObjectivesExamining information presentation strategies that may facilitate patient education through patient portals is important for effective health education. MethodsA randomized exploratory study evaluated information presentation (text or videos) and a chatbot in patient education and examined several performance and outcome variables (e.g., search duration, Decisional Conflict Scale, and eye-tracking measures), along with a simple descriptive qualitative content analysis of the transcript of chatbot. ResultsOf the 92 participants, those within the text conditions (n = 46, p < 0.001), had chatbot experiences (B =−74.85, p = 0.046), knew someone with IBD (B =−98.66, p = 0.039), and preferred to engage in medical decision-making (B =102.32, p = 0.006) were more efficient in information-searching. Participants with videos spent longer in information-searching (mean=666.5 (SD=171.6) VS 480.3 (SD=159.5) seconds, p < 0.001) but felt more informed (mean score=18.8 (SD=17.6) VS 27.4 (SD=18.9), p = 0.027). The participants’ average eye fixation duration with videos was significantly higher (mean= 473.8 ms, SD=52.9, p < 0.001). ConclusionsParticipants in video conditions were less efficient but more effective in information seeking. Exploring the trade-offs between efficiency and effectiveness for user interface designs is important to appropriately deliver education within patient portals. Practice implicationsThis study suggests that user interface designs and chatbots impact health information’s efficiency and effectiveness.

Transforming Psychological Testing With Saccadic Responses: Internal Consistency is High for Rorschach and Facial Expressions.

Psychologists have long been interested in the underlying visual perceptual processes associated with forming responses to certain psychological tests, including the Rorschach Ink Blot Test, which modern users conceptualize as a conceptual problem-solving task. Accordingly, we used eye tracking technology to assess the internal consistency of saccadic responses to both the Rorschach Ink Blot Test and a facial expression task. Internal consistency was highest for eye Fixation Duration (FD) and Saccade Amplitude (SA), and both FD and SA measures in the Rorschach were positively related to the same measures in the facial expression task. Given this high internal consistency of FD and SA for viewing Rorschach ink blots and viewing pictures from well-known collections of facial expressions, and given high correlations between these eye tracking measures across the two tasks, FD and SA may now be used in further studies of eye movements in visuo-attentive psychological/neuropsychological tests (e.g., the Thematic Apperception Test). Reliability of these eye movement measures across tasks enables their use for better understanding of underlying visual processes and improved interpretations of the meaning of behavioral responses to psychological/neuropsychological tests.

ASSESSING EYE GAZE PATTERNS BETWEEN INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED DESIGN SKETCHERS

AbstractOne difficulty with sketching pedagogy is the tendency to assess growth according to outcomes, as opposed to processes. We assessed eye gaze patterns between advanced and intermediate design sketchers and anticipated correlations between eye-gaze practices and sketching proficiency. Participants sketched two different objects using analogue materials, a potted plant from memory, and a MacBook from observation.The study utilised Tobii 3 adjustable eye-tracking glasses and Tobii Pro data processing software. Twenty-five design sketching students and six design sketching instructors participated in the study.Metrics measured include the quantity of reference line gazes, eye movement during line creation (targeting vs tracking), eye fixation duration, work checks per minute and subject gazes per minute.The results show a difference in gaze patterns between intermediate and advanced sketchers, both in terms of practice and consistency. Eye-tracking sketching behaviours has revealed a new understanding of how teaching gaze habits could lead to improved methods of design sketching instruction.

Eye movements and ERP biomarkers for face processing problems in avoidant attachment-style individuals.

Avoidant attachment poses a serious risk to intimate relationships and offspring. However, there are few studies on the face-processing characteristics and impairments of avoidant individuals based on basic emotion theory. Therefore, this study investigated the issues of emotional processing and deactivation strategies in individuals with avoidant attachment. Avoidant and secure individuals were recruited to participate in an eye-tracking experiment and a two-choice oddball task in which they had to distinguish facial expressions of basic emotions (sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and neutral). Eye fixation durations to various parts of the face, including the eyes, nose, and mouth, were measured, and three event-related potentials (ERP) components (P100, N170, and P300) were monitored. Avoidant individuals could not process facial expressions as easily as secure individuals. Avoidant individuals focused less on the eyes of angry faces when compared to secure individuals. They also exhibited a more positive P100 component and a less negative N170 component when processing faces and a larger amplitude of the P300 component than secure individuals when processing emotional expressions. Avoidant individuals use deactivating strategies and exhibit specific characteristics at different stages, which are of great significance in social interaction.

Exploring facilitator gaze patterns during difficult debriefing through eye-tracking analysis: a pilot study

Managing difficult debriefing can be challenging for simulation facilitators. Debriefers may use eye contact as a strategy to build and maintain psychological safety during debriefing. Visual dominance ratio (VDR), a measure of social power, is defined as the percentage of time making eye contact while speaking divided by the percentage of time making eye contact while listening. Little is known about eye gaze patterns during difficult debriefings. To demonstrate the feasibility of examining eye gaze patterns (i.e. VDR) among junior and senior facilitators during difficult debriefing. We recruited 10 trained simulation facilitators (four seniors and six juniors) and observed them debriefing two actors. The actors were scripted to play the role of learners who were engaged in the first scenario, followed by upset (emotional) and confrontational in the second and third scenarios, respectively. The participant facilitators wore an eye-tracking device to record their eye movements and fixation duration. The fixation durations and VDRs were calculated and summarized with median and interquartile range. We explore the effect of scenarios and training level on VDRs using Friedman tests and Wilcoxon rank sum tests. All 10 participants completed all three scenarios. There were no statistically significant differences in VDRs between the junior and senior facilitators for all three scenarios (baseline: The use of eye-tracking device to measure VDR during debriefings is feasible. We did not demonstrate a difference between junior and seniors in eye gaze patterns during difficult debriefings.

The impact of textual enhancement and frequency manipulation on incidental learning of collocations from reading

Collocational knowledge is central to communicative competence, but many second language (L2) learners struggle to acquire this aspect. To address this limitation, the present study investigated if textual enhancement and frequency manipulation would affect incidental learning of collocations from reading. Fifty-four first language (L1) Cantonese speakers read two English stories in which 12 adjective–pseudonoun collocations appeared either three or six times. The target collocations were coloured in red under the enhanced condition. Participants’ attentional processes were examined using their eye-movements during reading and stimulated recall comments prompted by their own eye-movements. After reading, unannounced immediate and delayed posttests were administered. The results showed that increased frequency led to greater visual attention to the target collocations in terms of both duration and counts of eye-fixations. Increased frequency further led to better performances on the immediate form and collocation recognition tests. The effects of colouring increased first fixation durations, only when the target collocations appeared six times. Colouring was also linked to higher immediate collocation recognition and delayed meaning recognition and collocation recall scores. Stimulated recall comments revealed that participants noticed the pseudonouns and sometimes utilized their collocate adjectives to infer the meaning of the pseudonouns. The findings of this study demonstrate that textual enhancement and frequency manipulation may affect distinct aspects of collocational learning.

Assessing the effect of flight information presentation styles on the usability of airline web booking interface

Airline websites are expected to become the major channel for flight bookings in the coming decade. Unlike e-commerce websites, airline products are intangible and complex, with varying sales conditions attached. This study aimed at testing the usability of two types of flight search information presentation styles— a text-based and a graphic-based interface—via flight booking experiments in a laboratory environment. Results showed that the graphic-based interface could improve flight booking accuracy with higher user satisfaction. The graphic-based interface was found to be able to reduce flight booking time when the flight booking scenario was simple but was not able to help when a complex flight booking scenario was presented. The graphic-based interface also improved web page browsing efficiency by reducing eye-fixation duration. In addition, users' personal factors, such as booking experience and learning styles, were found to have a significant influence on users’ mental effort during the flight selection stage of booking.

In-Vehicle Interaction Systems, Eye Movements, and Safety.

In-vehicle interactive systems are widely used in modern vehicles. While these systems serve various purposes, they are also potential distracters for drivers. In this study we investigated the effect of in-vehicle spatial distractions on driving errors and driver gaze behavior by developing an experimental paradigm named, "Direction Following in Distracted Driving - Spatial: Simultaneous and Sequential (D3-SSS)." Twenty-seven drivers voluntarily participated and were required to drive an instrumented vehicle on a two-lane test-track, following directions shown on direction signboards. While driving, drivers were required to respond to in-vehicle spatial distracting stimuli presented to them through a monitor attached to the dashboard. The drivers were randomly assigned to in-vehicle spatial-simultaneous and spatial-sequential distraction conditions. Our results demonstrated that, in comparison with spatial-sequential distractions, there were shorter eye fixation durations and fewer eye fixation counts on areas of interest (AOIs) during spatial-simultaneous distractions. We also found that drivers committed more driving errors during in-vehicle spatial-simultaneous distractions than when these were not occurring. In conclusion, drivers committed more slips than lapses, and spatial-simultaneous distraction was more detrimental to driving performance than was spatial-sequential distraction.

How We Look At Mature Faces-An Eye-Tracking Investigation Into the Perception of Age.

It is still unclear which facial region contributes most to the perception of an aged face when evaluated by eye-tracking analyses. The authors sought to apply eye-tracking technology to identify whether mature faces require longer fixation durations than young faces and which facial region contributes most to the perception of a mature face. Eye-tracking analyses were conducted in 74 volunteers (37 males, 37 females; 43 ≤ 40 years, 31 > 40 years) evaluating their gaze pattern and the fixation durations for the entire face and 9 facial subregions. Frontal facial images of 16 younger (<40 years) and older (>40 years) gender-matched individuals were presented in a standardized setting. Independent of age or gender of the observer, a younger stimulus image was viewed shorter than an older stimulus image with 0.82 (0.63) seconds vs 1.06 (0.73) seconds with P < 0.001. There was no statistically significant difference in their duration of a stable eye fixation when observers inspected a male vs a female stimulus image [0.94 (0.70) seconds vs 0.94 (0.68) seconds; P = 0.657] independent of the observer's age or gender. The facial image that captured the most attention of the observer (rank 9) was the perioral region with 1.61 (0.73) seconds for younger observers and 1.57 (0.73) seconds for older observers. It was revealed that the perioral region attracts the most attention of observers and contributes most to an aged facial appearance. Practitioners should be mindful of the importance of the perioral region when designing an aesthetic treatment plan.

Video Learning of Surgical Procedures: A Randomized Comparison of Microscopic, 2- and 3-Dimensional Endoscopic Ear Surgery Techniques.

Video learning of surgical procedures helps trainees gain an initial understanding of the complex anatomy and the surgical procedure. Because no comparative studies have yet examined which microsurgical approach to the middle ear is most suitable for video learning, the authors investigated objective and subjective outcomes for medical trainees observing microscopic, 2-dimensional (2D) endoscopic, and 3- dimensional (3D) endoscopic ear surgeries. Sixty-two medical students (min. 3rd year) from the University Hospital of Bern watched three standardized videos of a type I tympanoplasty surgery recording, conducted with a microscope, a 2D endoscope, and a 3D endoscope, respectively. The authors measured participants' learning outcome, eye movements, cognitive load, and subjective preferences. Of the 62 participants included in the study, 14 were male (22.58%), and mean age was 24.44 years (range: 21-29). Learning outcome was highest after watching the 3D endoscopic video (mean [SD], 59.48% [20.57%]). Differences in score were statistically significant: 2D endoscopic video (mean difference: -6.56%, 95% CI: -13.02 to -0.10%), microscopic video (mean difference: -13.82%, 95% CI: -20.27 to -7.36%). Participants showed lowest average eye fixation duration when watching the 3D endoscopic video (mean [SD], 307 ms [109 ms]), with statistically significant differences to the 2D endoscopic video (mean difference: -139 ms, 95% CI: -185 to -93 ms), and the microscopic video (mean difference: -264 ms, 95% CI: -310 to -218 ms). Participants reported lowest cognitive load for the 2D and 3D endoscopic videos. Ratings on discomfort, usability, naturalness, depth perception, and image quality were in favor of the 3D endoscopic video. The 3D endoscopic technique offers many advantages for video learning in terms of knowledge gain, visual field exploration, and subjective evaluation. To optimize learning effects in trainees, the authors recommend the use of endoscopes in middle ear surgery and, if available, using 3D technology.

In Search of the Most Attractive Lip Proportions and Lip Volume: An Eye Tracking- and Survey-Based Investigation.

Despite various aesthetic trends, the ideal lip proportion and lip volume remains elusive. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the aesthetic perception of various lip shapes to identify the most attractive lips. Fifty-nine White study participants with a mean age of 32.73 ± 9.4 years were asked to assess lips of various proportions and of various volumes. Gaze assessment and aesthetic rating of the same set of modified lip images were performed. The results revealed that the lip proportion that was rated to be most attractive was the 1:1.6 ratio (upper-to-lower lip, 4.21 of a possible 5). This lip proportion, however, was not the first one to be viewed on initial image display (1.20 sec) and had the shortest duration of a stable eye fixation within the 6-second image display interval (2.18 of 6 seconds). The lip volume that received the highest aesthetic rating was the 100 percent volume (original lip size), with 4.56 of a possible 5. This lip volume, however, had the third longest interval between initial image exposure and the first stable eye fixation (0.81 second) and had the shortest duration of stable eye fixations during the 6 seconds of image display (2.22 of 6 seconds). The results presented could be potentially reflective of the internal cognitive processes during the involuntary and voluntary assessment of lip attractiveness.

Using measures of reading time regularity (RTR) to quantify eye movement dynamics, and how they are shaped by linguistic information.

In this article, we present the concept of reading time regularity (RTR) as a measure to capture reading process dynamics. The first study is concerned with examining one of the assumptions of RTR, namely, that process measures of reading, such as eye movement fluctuations and fixation durations, exhibit higher regularity when contingent on sequentially structured information, such as texts. To test this, eye movements of 26 German native speakers were recorded during reading-unrelated and reading-related tasks. To analyze the data, we used recurrence quantification analysis and sample entropy analysis to quantify the degree of temporal structure in time series of gaze steps and fixation durations. The results showed that eye movements become more regular in reading compared to nonreading conditions. These effects were most prominent when calculated on the basis of gaze step data. In a second study, eye movements of 27 native speakers of German were recorded for five conditions with increasing linguistic information. The results replicate the findings of the first study, verifying that these effects are not due to mere differences in task instructions between conditions. Implications for the concept of RTR and for future studies using these metrics in reading research are discussed.

Visual differences between novice and expert ASL interpreters when learning/interpreting an ASL phrase

The study objectives include: 1) to identify that expert ASL interpreters' will have a different selection of visual key areas than novices, 2) to identify the effect of practice on the selection of visual key areas, 3) to identify the differences in novice ASL signers’ eye-fixations in the reference and feedback areas. A behavioral study with expert ASL interpreters and hearing novice ASL signers was performed. The expert ASL interpreters interpreted 17 ASL phrases for 1 trial per phrase, while the novices, people with no prior ASL experience, performed while observing each phrase for 5 trials per phrase, both using eye-tracking.Novices' eye-fixation duration concentrated 89.32% in the visual instructions. Mainly in two areas, the lower part of the face at 24.72% and the upper body at 50.25%. Expert ASL interpreters’ eye-fixation duration was mainly on the upper face at 78.3% and on the lower face at 8.0%. F (9,160) = 59.32, p < 0.000. After completing the experiment, novice ASL signers modified the selection of the visual key areas as they decreased their observations from the visual instructions by 5% while increasing the observation of the visual feedback described as the participant area by 100% after 5 trials. The results concluded that there was a clear difference in visual focal points of expert ASL interpreters and novice ASL signers. Our experimental settings successfully tracked and identified the key visual areas when learning and interpreting the ASL phrases.

Children’s Ability to Read from Computers and Smartphones

Children now use digital devices for learning and leisure activities. The study assessed children's ability to read from computers, smartphones and printed sheets. We provided 60 children aged seven to ten years with reading material and recorded the time taken by them to complete reading and their navigation pattern and eye movements using software developed by us. There was no significant difference in the time taken to complete reading and the ability to recall the content when the children read from the three mediums ( P &gt; .05). The average eye fixation duration was however significantly higher when the children read from a smartphone ( P &lt; .05). Children aged nine and ten years used hyperlinks more often while reading from a smartphone than a computer ( P &lt; .05). We concluded that children can read fluently from all the three mediums by the age of seven years, and navigate hypertext effectively on smartphones by nine years of age.

Investigation of Pilots' Visual Entropy and Eye Fixations for Simulated Flights Consisted of Multiple Take-Offs and Landings

Eye movement characteristics might provide insights on pilots' mental fatigue during prolonged flight. The visual entropy, eye fixation numbers, and eye fixation durations of ten novice pilots and ten expert pilots were analyzed for a four-hour simulated flight task consisting of four consecutive flight legs. Each flight leg lasted approximately one hour and contained five flight phases: takeoff, climb, cruise, descend, and landing. The pilots maneuvered the simulated B-52 aircraft following instrument flight rules (IFR) in a moderate-fidelity Microsoft Flight Simulator environment. Our results indicate that experts’ eye movement characteristics were significantly different from those of novices. In detail, novices' eye movements were more random, produced longer eye fixation durations, and had fewer eye fixation numbers on the areas of interest (AOIs) than the experts. In addition, the repetitive task (i.e., four consecutive flights) significantly impacted the eye movement characteristics for both experts and novices. Visual entropy and eye fixation duration increased, while eye fixation numbers decreased for both groups as the repetition index increased. Finally, the flight phases also affected eye movement characteristics. The results show that both experts' and novices' visual entropies were relatively higher during climb, cruise, and descend phases, whereas those were relatively lower during the takeoff and landing phases. The present results provide a foundation for us to better understand the similarities and dissimilarities of eye movement characteristics between the experts and novices for a prolonged flight. Lastly, potential scaffolding training methods and pilot anomaly alerting systems, derived from such eye movements, are introduced.

Eye movements during text reading align with the rate of speech production.

Across languages, the speech signal is characterized by a predominant modulation of the amplitude spectrum between about 4.3 and 5.5 Hz, reflecting the production and processing of linguistic information chunks (syllables and words) every ~200 ms. Interestingly, ~200 ms is also the typical duration of eye fixations during reading. Prompted by this observation, we demonstrate that German readers sample written text at ~5 Hz. A subsequent meta-analysis of 142 studies from 14 languages replicates this result and shows that sampling frequencies vary across languages between 3.9 Hz and 5.2 Hz. This variation systematically depends on the complexity of the writing systems (character-based versus alphabetic systems and orthographic transparency). Finally, we empirically demonstrate a positive correlation between speech spectrum and eye movement sampling in low-skilled non-native readers, with tentative evidence from post hoc analysis suggesting the same relationship in low-skilled native readers. On the basis of this convergent evidence, we propose that during reading, our brain's linguistic processing systems imprint a preferred processing rate-that is, the rate of spoken language production and perception-onto the oculomotor system.