Eye-tracking Results Research Articles

A Comparative Study Recognizing the Expression of Information Between Elderly Individuals and Young Individuals.

Studies have shown that elderly individuals have significantly worse facial expression recognition scores than young adults. Some have suggested that this difference is due to perceptual degradation, while others suggest it is due to decreased attention of elderly individuals to the most informative regions of the face. To resolve this controversy, this study recruited 85 participants and used a behavioral task and eye-tracking techniques (EyeLink 1000 Plus eye tracker). It adopted the "study-recognition" paradigm, and a mixed experimental design of 3 (facial expressions: positive, neutral, negative) × 2 (subjects' age: young, old) × 3 (facial areas of interest: eyes, nose, and mouth) was used to explore whether there was perceptual degradation in older people's attention to facial expressions and investigate the differences in diagnostic areas between young and older people. The behavioral results revealed that young participants had significantly higher facial expression recognition scores than older participants did; moreover, the eye-tracking results revealed that younger people generally fixated on faces significantly more than elderly people, demonstrating the perceptual degradation in elderly people. Young people primarily look at the eyes, followed by the nose and, finally, the mouth when examining facial expressions. The elderly participants primarily focus on the eyes, followed by the mouth and then the nose. The findings confirmed that young participants have better facial expression recognition performance than elderly participants, which may be related more to perceptual degradation than to decreased attention to informative areas of the face. For elderly people, the duration of gaze toward the facial diagnosis area (such as the eyes) should be increased when recognizing faces to compensate for the disadvantage of decreased facial recognition performance caused by perceptual aging.

Features of attention network impairment in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy: Evidence from eye-tracking and electroencephalogram

AimTo explore multiple features of attention impairments in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). MethodsA total of 93 patients diagnosed with TLE at Xiangya Hospital during May 2022 and December 2022 and 85 healthy controls were included in this study. Participants were asked to complete neuropsychological scales and attention network test (ANT) with recording of eye-tracking and electroencephalogram. ResultsAll means of evaluation showed impaired attention functions in TLE patients. ANT results showed impaired orienting (p < 0.001) and executive control (p = 0.041) networks. Longer mean first saccade time (p = 0.046) and more total saccadic counts (p = 0.035) were found in eye-tracking results, indicating abnormal alerting and orienting networks. Both alerting, orienting and executive control networks were abnormal, manifesting as decreased amplitudes (N1 & P3, p < 0.001) and extended latency (P3, p = 0.002). The energy of theta, alpha and beta were all sensitive to the changes of alerting and executive control network with time, but only beta power was sensitive to the changes of orienting network. ConclusionOur findings are helpful for early identification of patients with TLE combined with attention impairments, which have strong clinical guiding significance for long-term monitoring and intervention.

Understanding Relations Between Product Icon Type, Feature Type, and Abstraction: Evidence From ERPs and Eye-Tracking Studys

The representation and recognition of icons play a crucial role in interface interaction efficiency and user experience within human–computer interaction. However, the intricate relationship between product icon types, feature types, and abstraction in cognitive contexts has yet to be clarified. This study aimed to delve into the cognitive mechanisms concerning practical and hedonic product icons across varying abstraction levels using EEG analysis. Moreover, it investigated how the explicitness and implicitness of these icons and their abstraction levels influence recognition efficiency via eye-tracking studies. In Experiment A, a high abstraction level led to prolonged reaction times (RTs), reduced accuracy rate (ACC), more negative N400, and decreased late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes. These outcomes suggested increased effort, heightened semantic conflict, and negative emotional engagement. Moreover, at middle abstraction levels, RTs were consistently longer for hedonic product icons compared to practical ones. Additionally, both N400 and LPP amplitudes were notably larger for hedonic product icons. In Experiment B, eye-tracking results revealed that compared with implicit features, the change of abstraction degree of explicit features is more likely to increase the number of fixation points and RTs of users. Specifically, functional explicit features wielded the greatest impact on overall icon cognitive efficiency. Synthesizing both experiments revealed significant differences in abstraction requirements for practical vs. hedonic product icons. A practical implication arises: moderate overall abstraction suits practical product icons, while higher abstraction suits hedonic ones. Among features, it’s essential to avoid excessive abstraction in functional and symbolic aspects, while simplifying or removing area line features and chamfered elements can be beneficial. This study contributes to Internet of Things (IoT) icon research, offering potential guidance for graphic designers in crafting user-friendly icons.

Uczeń z zespołem Aspergera na lekcji języka angielskiego: okulograficzne studium przypadku

Asperger syndrome (AS) is more and more often diagnosed in Poland and there are many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at Polish schools. They attend classes with neurotypical children and use the same (glotto)didactic materials as neurotypical students. The article aims at showing the case of a dyslexic ASD teenage school student who turned out to be an outlier in the group of dyslexic participants of an eye-tracking study. The participants were to complete two exercises on the textbook page imitating the real textbook of English. The layout of the page was designed according to the hints and suggestions for dyslexic students and stimulated their work and its effectiveness. It turned out that the eye-tracking results of a dyslexic ASD student (an outlier) were very different from the ones of other dyslexic participants. In the article the differences in visual attention of the dyslexic AS student are shown

Pictorial Health Warning and Intention to Quit Smoking in Smokers in an Urban Campus Jakarta

Background: Research on eye-tracking among active smokers shows they avoid the health warnings on cigarette packages, which still occur even without prominent imaging information. Aims: To evaluate the reactions and perceptions to pictorial health warning (PHW) labels by measuring eye-tracking devices and knowing their relationship to smoking cessation intention. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design with measurements of PHW on cigarette packs by eye-tracker tools of type Tobii-data collection. With a non-random sampling technique, 50 respondents were from civitas academics on Campus-A UHAMKA. Samples were selected based on inclusion criteria: men, active smokers, not colorblind, and who didn't intend to stop smoking three months before the study. Results: The number also shows that most respondents already have strong intentions. The majority of respondents (64%) want to improve their health. However, 20% of those surveyed have no reason to quit smoking. That might represent the respondent's low intention to quit smoking. A bivariate test showed no significant association between respondents' attitudes toward smoking cessation intention (p-value: 0.706) and subjective norms for smoking cessation intention (p-value: 0.706). The eye-tracking results found that the different gaze plots and heatmap results on cigarette packets showing smoking-related diseases were more directed to the PHW area of interest. However, on smoking behavior images, the gaze plot and heatmap showed scattered results for PHW and cigarette brands. Conclusion: Although it has not been proven significantly related to smoking cessation intention, PHW has been the respondents' focus. We need further research on the shape and size of PHW.

Outcome measures in Angelman syndrome

BackgroundAngelman syndrome (AS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe intellectual disability, little to no expressive speech, visual and motor problems, emotional/behavioral challenges, and a tendency towards hyperphagia and weight gain. The characteristics of AS make it difficult to measure these children’s functioning with standard clinical tests. Feasible outcome measures are needed to measure current functioning and change over time, in clinical practice and clinical trials.AimOur first aim is to assess the feasibility of several functional tests. We target domains of neurocognitive functioning and physical growth using the following measurement methods: eye-tracking, functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), indirect calorimetry, bio-impedance analysis (BIA), and BOD POD (air-displacement plethysmography). Our second aim is to explore the results of the above measures, in order to better understand the AS phenotype.MethodsThe study sample consisted of 28 children with AS aged 2–18 years. We defined an outcome measure as feasible when (1) at least 70% of participants successfully finished the measurement and (2) at least 60% of those participants had acceptable data quality. Adaptations to the test procedure and reasons for early termination were noted. Parents rated acceptability and importance and were invited to make recommendations to increase feasibility. The results of the measures were explored.ResultsOutcome measures obtained with eye-tracking and BOD POD met the definition of feasibility, while fNIRS, indirect calorimetry, and BIA did not. The most important reasons for early termination of measurements were showing signs of protest, inability to sit still and poor/no calibration (eye-tracking specific). Post-calibration was often applied to obtain valid eye-tracking results. Parents rated the BOD POD als most acceptable and fNIRS as least acceptable for their child. All outcome measures were rated to be important. Exploratory results indicated longer reaction times to high salient visual stimuli (eye-tracking) as well as high body fat percentage (BOD POD).ConclusionsEye-tracking and BOD POD are feasible measurement methods for children with AS. Eye-tracking was successfully used to assess visual orienting functions in the current study and (with some practical adaptations) can potentially be used to assess other outcomes as well. BOD POD was successfully used to examine body composition.Trial registrationRegistered d.d. 23-04-2020 under number ‘NL8550’ in the Dutch Trial Register: https://onderzoekmetmensen.nl/en/trial/23075

Can the processing of task-irrelevant threatening stimuli be inhibited? – The role of shape and valence in the saliency of threatening objects

Numerous studies have demonstrated that attention is quickly oriented towards threatening stimuli, and that this attentional bias is difficult to inhibit. The root cause(s) of this bias may be attributable to the affective (e.g., valence) or visual features (e.g., shape) of threats. In two experiments (behavioral, eye-tracking), we tested which features play a bigger role in the salience of threats. In both experiments, participants looked for a neutral target (butterfly, lock) among other neutral objects. In half of the trials a threatening (snake, gun) or nonthreatening (but visually similar; worm, hairdryer) task-irrelevant distractor was also present at a near or far distance from the target. Behavioral results indicate that both distractor types interfered with task performance. Rejecting nonthreatening distractors as nontargets was easier when they were presented further from the target but distance had no effect when the distractor was threatening. Eye-tracking results showed that participants fixated less often (and for less time) on threatening compared to nonthreatening distractors. They also viewed targets for less time when a threatening distractor was present (compared to nonthreatening). Results suggest that visual features of threats are easier to suppress than affective features, and the latter may have a stronger role in eliciting attentional biases.

The effect of masks on infants' ability to fast-map and generalize new words.

Young children today are exposed to masks on a regular basis. However, there is limited empirical evidence on how masks may affect word learning. The study explored the effect of masks on infants' abilities to fast-map and generalize new words. Seventy-two Chinese infants (43 males, Mage = 18.26 months) were taught two novel word-object pairs by a speaker with or without a mask. They then heard the words and had to visually identify the correct objects and also generalize words to a different speaker and objects from the same category. Eye-tracking results indicate that infants looked longer at the target regardless of whether a speaker wore a mask. They also looked longer at the speaker's eyes than at the mouth only when words were taught through a mask. Thus, fast-mapping and generalization occur in both masked and not masked conditions as infants can flexibly access different visual cues during word-learning.

Visual attention-guided augmented representation of geographic scenes: a case of bridge stress visualization

Efficient geovisualization is beneficial for understanding geospatial phenomena, an important research direction for GISers and Cartographers. However, the current research on geovisualization overemphasizes the visual effects while neglecting the prominent representation of crucial information and failing to consider the user’s cognitive workload of information processing. Following the laws of visual perception of the human eyes, this article proposes a visual attention-guided augmented representation approach of geographic scenes that involves area of interest computation, background simplification, and compound graphic variables. Finally, we select bridge stress visualization as a case study for experimental analysis. The experimental results of eye-tracking show that augmented representation could draw the participants’ attention to areas of interest in a short time, increasing their duration of fixations and the accuracy of completing given tasks. These findings suggest that our approach can enhance geographic scenes’ cognitive efficiency, offers a new idea for the theoretical studies of geovisualization, and holds promising potential for broader application in various geographical phenomena visualization.

Evaluating the Influence of Celebrity Endorsement in Advertising: Insights from Eye-Tracking Analysis

In an increasingly competitive business landscape, many brand owners turn to celebrity endorsements as a marketing strategy to promote their products. This study explores its impact to ascertain the effectiveness of this celebrity-driven approach in communicating brand-related information and influencing consumers. Participants in this research were randomly assigned to two groups, ensuring a balanced gender distribution. Each group viewed different advertisements: one featuring celebrities as models and the other utilizing non-celebrity models. Throughout the experiment, an eyetracking device recorded participants’ gaze patterns. The eye-tracking results reveal celebrity endorsements enhance their focus on the promoted product. Furthermore, an intriguing gender-based distinction emerges, with female participants demonstrating greater attention for male models over their female counterparts. Additionally, post-trial surveys indicate that a higher proportion of female participants are inclined to consider celebrities as influential factors in their purchasing decisions. This study contributes valuable insights into the phenomenon of the “celebrity effect” in advertising. It enhances the understanding of how celebrities impact consumer attention and purchasing decisions, offering brand owners a deeper understanding of leveraging this strategy effectively in their product promotion efforts.

Assessing the Impact of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Cognitive Performance

Many studies have demonstrated the benefits of aerobic exercise, such as improved metabolism, strengthened muscle groups, enhanced physical fitness, and potential anti-aging effects. Additionally, research has suggested that aerobic exercise may have a positive impact on mood regulation and the alleviation of negative emotions. This study employs eye tracking as a measurement tool to investigate the influence of acute aerobic exercise on cognitive performance. Participants were randomly assigned to exercise and non-exercise groups. Those in the exercise group engaged in a five-minute session of acute aerobic exercise, followed by a return to normal heart rates. Subsequently, exercise and non-exercise group participants completed reading comprehension tasks, during which an eye tracker tracked their eye movements. According to the eye-tracking results, acute aerobic exercise did not significantly improve participants’ cognitive task performance.Meanwhile, it was found that short time and high-intensity exercise negatively affected attentional shifting during the tasks. Participants in the exercise group exhibited delayed attentional transfer. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by shedding light on the intricate relationship between acute aerobic exercise and cognitive performance. The findings offer recommendations for brief exercise breaks during work or study. Moreover, it is a valuable resource for researchers by offering new insights and methodologies for future investigations.

Eye-Tracker to Control Pointer Using Machine Learning

Abstract: For preprocessing and analyzing eye-tracking data In an increasingly digital world, human-computer interaction has become a vital aspect of daily life. Traditionalinput devices like mice and touchpads may not be accessible to all individuals, especially those with physicaldisabilities. This project aims to develop an innovative solution to address this issue by creating an eye-tracking- based pointer control system using machine learning techniques. The primary goal of this project is to design and imp element a system that allows users to control a computer's cursor or pointer solely through the movement of their eyes. This will be achieved by leveraging state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms to accurately track and interpret the user's eye movements. we envision a novel eye-tracking-based pointer control system that can enhance the accessibility and usability of computers for diverse range of users. This technology has the potential to empower individuals with disabilities and make computing more intuitive and inclusive for everyone. The front-end involves Html, CSS, and JavaScript which are the fundamental web technologies for creating the userinterfaceand displaying the eye-tracking results. and the backend involves Python. The framework used is Tkinter and OpenCV is used which is a computer vision library thatcan be used

Brain computed tomography reading of stroke patients by resident doctors from different medical specialities: An eye-tracking study

BackgroundUsing the eye-tracking technique, our work aimed to examine whether difference in clinical background may affect the training outcome of resident doctors’ interpretation skills and reading behaviour related to brain computed tomography (CT). MethodsTwelve resident doctors in the neurology, radiology, and emergency departments were recruited. Each participant had to read CT images of the brain for two cases. We evaluated each participant’s accuracy of lesion identification. We also used the eye-tracking technique to assess reading behaviour. We recorded dwell times, fixation counts, run counts, and first-run dwell times of target lesions to evaluate visual attention. Transition entropy was applied to assess the temporal relations and spatial dynamics of systematic image reading. ResultsThe eye-tracking results showed that the image reading sequence examined by transition entropy was comparable among resident doctors from different medical specialties (p = 0.82). However, the dwell time of the target lesions was shorter for the resident doctors from the neurology department (4828.63 ms, p = 0.01) than for those from the resident doctors from the radiology (6275.88 ms) and emergency (5305.00 ms) departments. The eye-tracking results in individual areas of interest only showed differences in the eye-tracking performance of the first-run dwell time (p = 0.05) in the anterior cerebral falx. DiscussionOur findings demonstrate that resident doctors from different medical specialties may achieve similar imaging reading patterns for brain CT. This may mitigate queries regarding the influence of different backgrounds on training outcomes.

Attention-based automatic editing of virtual lectures for reduced production labor and effective learning experience

Recently there has been a surge in demand for online video-based learning, and the importance of high-quality educational videos is ever-growing. However, a uniform format of videos that neglects individual differences and the labor-intensive process of editing are major setbacks in producing effective educational videos. This study aims to resolve the issues by proposing an automatic lecture video editing pipeline based on each individual’s attention pattern. In this pipeline, the eye-tracking data are obtained while each individual watches virtual lectures, which later go through multiple filters to define the viewer’s locus of attention and to select the appropriate shot at each time point to create personalized videos. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed method, video characteristics, subjective evaluations of the learning experience, and objective eye-movement features were compared between differently edited videos (attention-based, randomly edited, professionally edited). The results showed that our method dramatically reduced the editing time, with similar video characteristics to those of professionally edited versions. Attention-based versions were also evaluated to be significantly better than randomly edited ones, and as effective as professionally edited ones. Eye-tracking results indicated that attention-based videos have the potential to decrease the cognitive load of learners. These results suggest that attention-based automatic editing can be a viable or even a better alternative to the human expert-dependent approach, and individually-tailored videos have the potential to heighten the learning experience and effect.

As easy as cake or a piece of pie? Processing idiom variation and the contribution of individual cognitive differences.

Language users routinely use canonical, familiar idioms in everyday communication without difficulty. However, creativity in idiom use is more widespread than sometimes assumed, and little is known about how we process creative uses of idioms, and how individual differences in cognitive skills contribute to this. We used eye-tracking while reading and cross-modal priming to investigate the processing of idioms (e.g., play with fire) compared with creative variants (play with acid) and literal controls (play with toys), amongst a group of 47 university-level native speakers of English. We also conducted a series of tests to measure cognitive abilities (working memory capacity, inhibitory control, and processing speed). Eye-tracking results showed that in early reading behaviour, variants were read no differently to literal phrases or idioms but showed significantly longer overall reading times, with more rereading required compared with other conditions. Idiom variables (familiarity, decomposability, literal plausibility) and individual cognitive variables had limited effects throughout, although more decomposable phrases of all kinds required less overall reading time. Cross-modal priming-which has often shown a robust idiom advantage in past studies-demonstrated no difference between conditions, but decomposability again led to faster processing. Overall, results suggest that variants were treated more like literal phrases than novel metaphors, with subsequent effort required to make sense of these in the way that was consistent with the context provided.

Development and Replication of Objective Measurements of Social Visual Engagement to Aid in Early Diagnosis and Assessment of Autism

Autism spectrum disorder is a common and early-emerging neurodevelopmental condition. While 80% of parents report having had concerns for their child's development before age 2 years, many children are not diagnosed until ages 4 to 5 years or later. To develop an objective performance-based tool to aid in early diagnosis and assessment of autism in children younger than 3 years. In 2 prospective, consecutively enrolled, broad-spectrum, double-blind studies, we developed an objective eye-tracking-based index test for children aged 16 to 30 months, compared its performance with best-practice reference standard diagnosis of autism (discovery study), and then replicated findings in an independent sample (replication study). Discovery and replication studies were conducted in specialty centers for autism diagnosis and treatment. Reference standard diagnoses were made using best-practice standardized protocols by specialists blind to eye-tracking results. Eye-tracking tests were administered by staff blind to clinical results. Children were enrolled from April 27, 2013, until September 26, 2017. Data were analyzed from March 28, 2018, to January 3, 2019. Prespecified primary end points were the sensitivity and specificity of the eye-tracking-based index test compared with the reference standard. Prespecified secondary end points measured convergent validity between eye-tracking-based indices and reference standard assessments of social disability, verbal ability, and nonverbal ability. Data were collected from 1089 children: 719 children (mean [SD] age, 22.4 [3.6] months) in the discovery study, and 370 children (mean [SD] age, 25.4 [6.0] months) in the replication study. In discovery, 224 (31.2%) were female and 495 (68.8%) male; in replication, 120 (32.4%) were female and 250 (67.6%) male. Based on reference standard expert clinical diagnosis, there were 386 participants (53.7%) with nonautism diagnoses and 333 (46.3%) with autism diagnoses in discovery, and 184 participants (49.7%) with nonautism diagnoses and 186 (50.3%) with autism diagnoses in replication. In the discovery study, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.88-0.92), sensitivity was 81.9% (95% CI, 77.3%-85.7%), and specificity was 89.9% (95% CI, 86.4%-92.5%). In the replication study, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.89 (95% CI, 0.86-0.93), sensitivity was 80.6% (95% CI, 74.1%-85.7%), and specificity was 82.3% (95% CI, 76.1%-87.2%). Eye-tracking test results correlated with expert clinical assessments of children's individual levels of ability, explaining 68.6% (95% CI, 58.3%-78.6%), 63.4% (95% CI, 47.9%-79.2%), and 49.0% (95% CI, 33.8%-65.4%) of variance in reference standard assessments of social disability, verbal ability, and nonverbal cognitive ability, respectively. In two diagnostic studies of children younger than 3 years, objective eye-tracking-based measurements of social visual engagement quantified diagnostic status as well as individual levels of social disability, verbal ability, and nonverbal ability in autism. These findings suggest that objective measurements of social visual engagement can be used to aid in autism diagnosis and assessment.

Using allophonic variation in L2 word recognition: French listeners’ processing of English vowel nasalization

During spoken word processing, native (L1) listeners use allophonic variation to predictively rule out word competitors and speed up word recognition. There is some evidence that second language (L2) learners develop an awareness of allophonic distributions in their L2, but whether they use their knowledge to facilitate word recognition online, like native listeners do, is largely unknown. In an offline gating experiment and an online eye-tracking experiment in the visual world paradigm, we compare advanced French learners of English and a control group of L1 English listeners on their processing of English vowel nasalization during spoken word recognition. In the gating task, the French listeners’ performance did not differ from that of the English ones. The eye-tracking results show that French listeners used the allophonic distribution in the same way as English listeners, although they were not as fast. Together, these results reveal that L2 learners can develop novel processing strategies using sounds in allophonic distribution to facilitate spoken word recognition.

Influence of colored face masks on judgments of facial attractiveness and gaze patterns

BackgroundFacial aesthetics are of great importance in social interaction. With the widespread adoption of face masks in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, there is growing interest in understanding how wearing masks might impact perceptions of attractiveness, as they partially or completely conceal facial features that are typically associated with attractiveness. ObjectivesThis study aimed to explore the impact of mask wearing on attractiveness and to investigate whether the color (red or blue) of the mask has any effect on the perception of a person's attractiveness, while also considering gender and age as contributing factors. Additionally, the study intended to evaluate gaze patterns, initial focus, and dwell time in response to masked and unmasked faces. Methods30 AI-generated images of 15 female and 15 male faces were presented to 71 participants (35 male, 36 female) in 3 conditions: not wearing any mask, wearing a red surgical mask, and wearing a blue surgical mask. The perceived attractiveness was rated on an ordinal scale of 1–10 (10 being most attractive). Gaze behavior, dwell time and initial focus were recorded using a stationary eye-tracking system. ResultsThe study found that wearing masks had no significant effect on the attractiveness ratings of female faces (p = .084), but it did benefit the perceived attractiveness of male faces which were initially rated lower (p = .16). Gender and age also played a significant role, as both male and female participants rated female stimuli higher than male stimuli (p < .001), and younger participants rated both genders as less attractive than older participants (p < .01). However, there was no significant influence of the mask's color on attractiveness. During the eye-tracking analysis, the periorbital region was of greater interest while masked, with the time to first fixation for the eyes being lower than the non-masked stimulus (p < .001) and showed a longer dwell time (p < .001). The lower face was shown less interest while masked as the time to first fixation was higher (p < .001) and the fixation count was less (p < .001). Mask color did not influence the scan path and there was no difference in revisits to the mask area between red or blue masks (p = .202), nor was there a difference in time to first fixation (p = .660). ConclusionsThe study findings indicate that there is an interplay between the gender and age of the participant and the facial stimuli. The color red did have an effect on the perception attractiveness, however not in female faces. The results suggest that masks, especially red ones, might be more beneficial for male faces, which were perceived as less attractive without a mask. However, wearing a mask did not significantly impact already attractive faces. The eye-tracking results revealed that the periorbital region attracted more attention and was fixated on more quickly while wearing a mask, indicating the importance of eyes in social interaction and aesthetic perception.

From reading style to cognitive style and its possible application: an eye-tracking and CFT approach

Reading strategies and cognitive styles have been the objective of many researchers. However, the relation between these two concepts remains unclear. This paper is focusing on three goals. Firstly, we verify the reliability of the eye-tracking indicators of risky and conservative reading style. Secondly, we aim to explore an additional eye-tracking pattern that may reflect the reading style on the global level. Thirdly, we explore the relationship between reading style and the holistic/analytic cognitive style. The study is based on a combination of Compound Figure Test (CFT) as a main tool for analyzing cognitive style and eye-tracking study consisting of several text stimuli related to verify reading style patterns. Results showed stability across the reading tasks, which validates for the usefulness and reliability of original Rayner’s as well as the new additional eye-tracking metrics. The stability of the eye-tracking metrics allows us to treat them as a behavioral profile in information processing that may be viewed as a stable personality trait known as reading style. However, the eye-tracking results and the CFT global preference score did not show a detectably close relation between cognitive style and reading style. In conclusion, we also discuss the possibility of applying these eye-tracking patterns to foreign language material design.

Capturing consumers' visual attention toward sugar-reduction information – Focusing on sugar-reduced beverages using eye-tracking experiments

PurposeThis study analyzed the factors affecting visual attention toward sugar-reduction information (SRI) on sugar-reduced beverages (SRBs) and identified the most optimal SRI type and location using eye-tracking. The eye-tracking results were compared with those of a self-reported questionnaire.Design/methodology/approachAn eye-tracking experiment was conducted on 50 Korean people in their 20s and 30s to analyze implicit responses. Subsequently, a self-reported questionnaire was administered to analyze explicit responses, facilitating the investigation of perceptions, attitudes, preferences, intentions to purchase SRBs, and preferred SRI types and positions.FindingsThe results were as follows. First, personal trait-, state-, and product-related factors were found to affect eye movement in relation to SRI. Second, eye-tracking revealed that SRI types and locations that drew long-lasting fixation and attracted considerable attention were similar to those preferred in the self-reported questionnaire. Therefore, to efficiently convey information on SRBs, SRI should be combined with a graphic, and not merely a word, and placed in the upper-right corner, exhibiting consistency with the results of two previous experiments.Originality/valueThis study specifically focused on considering personal and product-related traits while conducting an eye-tracking experiment to investigate the factors that attract consumers' attention. Furthermore, this study is the first to investigate the use of SRI labels to promote SRB selection. What is significant is that both explicit and implicit responses were assessed and compared via a self-reported survey and eye-tracking experiments for various SRB categories.