Distribution Of Visual Attention Research Articles

Autoencoder-enabled eye-tracking data analytics for objective assessment of user preference in humanoid robot appearance design

Humanoid robots have been extensively utilized in service industries to provide information and product delivery through direct interactions with users. As the design of humanoid robot appearance significantly impacts human-robot interactions, it is crucial to assess user preference towards it. Traditional evaluation tools, such as surveys, field observations, and interviews, are often time-consuming and subjective. Therefore, this study aims to develop a novel eye-tracking-based assessment tool to investigate user preference towards humanoid robot appearance design. We analyze the critical factors influencing user preference from two perspectives: the attributes of robot appearance and users' selective attention distribution. Accordingly, we propose an integrated machine learning method, combining an autoencoder neural network with a support vector machine to handle the collected visual data. This method, named ASVM, extracts several novel indicators from the eye-tracking data via an unsupervised autoencoder neural network and manual entropy analysis. The proposed ASVM achieves an accuracy of 91%, outperforming other classical machine learning methods, including decision tree, naive Bayes, and support vector machine. ASVM can objectively assess user preference towards humanoid robot appearance design with high time resolution. Furthermore, it can enhance humanoid robot design by revealing the visual attention distribution in assessing robot appearance.

Prismatic adaptation coupled with cognitive training as novel treatment for developmental dyslexia: a randomized controlled trial

Despite intense and costly treatments, developmental dyslexia (DD) often persists into adulthood. Several brain skills unrelated to speech sound processing (i.e., phonology), including the spatial distribution of visual attention, are abnormal in DD and may represent possible treatment targets. This study explores the efficacy in DD of rightward prismatic adaptation (rPA), a visuomotor adaptation technique that enables visuo-attentive recalibration through shifts in the visual field induced by prismatic goggles. A digital intervention of rPA plus cognitive training was delivered weekly over 10 weeks to adolescents with DD (aged 13–17) assigned either to treatment (N = 35) or waitlist (N = 35) group. Efficacy was evaluated by repeated measures MANOVA assessing changes in working memory index (WMI), processing speed index (PSI), text reading speed, and words/pseudowords reading accuracy. rPA treatment was significantly more effective than waitlist (p ≤ 0.001; ηp2 = 0.815). WMI, PSI, and reading speed increased in the intervention group only (p ≤ 0.001, ηp2 = 0.67; p ≤ 0.001, ηp2 = 0.58; p ≤ 0.001, ηp2 = 0.29, respectively). Although modest change was detected for words and pseudowords accuracy in the waitlist group only (words: p ≤ 0.001, d = 0.17, pseudowords: p = 0.028; d = 0.27), between-group differences were non-significant. rPA-coupled cognitive training enhances cognitive and reading abilities in adolescents with DD. This innovative approach could have implications for early remedial treatment.

Students’ Evaluations of Multilingual Educational Slides and Their Visual Attention Distribution on Slides with Different Layouts

Following efforts to promote internationalization at academic institutions, the use of multiple languages on educational slides (e.g., PowerPoint) has gradually increased. Multilingualism in learning has its advantages, but having multiple languages on educational slides can lead to crowding and cognitive overload. To investigate how students perceive multilingual slides, evaluations were gathered from Japanese (N = 20) and Indonesian students (N = 20) during an eye-tracking experiment in which their visual attention distribution on the slides was assessed. The slides contained text in three languages (English, Japanese, and Bahasa Indonesia) and were varied according to their layout. One group watched slides with text separated in blocks, with one text block for each language, while the other group watched slides consisting of a single, mixed block with each sentence describing the same information in a different language. The students’ evaluations showed that slides with a mixed layout were judged as more crowded and required more processing effort than slides with a separated-block layout. Furthermore, while the students dwelled their gaze significantly longer on text in their native language (either Bahasa Indonesia or Japanese) on separated-block slides, for slides with a mixed layout, the gaze patterns did not significantly differ between languages. The results of a comprehension quiz taken after the slide presentation, however, showed that students performed better after having watched the slides with the mixed layout. Thus, although judged as more crowded and requiring a wider attention distribution, slides with a mixed layout may be preferable in multilingual education.

A spatial-attentional mechanism underlies action-related distortions of time judgment

Temporal binding has been understood as an illusion in timing judgment. When an action triggers an outcome (e.g. a sound) after a brief delay, the action is reported to occur later than if the outcome does not occur, and the outcome is reported to occur earlier than a similar outcome not caused by an action. We show here that an attention mechanism underlies the seeming illusion of timing judgment. In one method, participants watch a rotating clock hand and report event times by noting the clock hand position when the event occurs. We find that visual spatial attention is critically involved in shaping event time reports made in this way. This occurs because action and outcome events result in shifts of attention around the clock rim, thereby biasing the perceived location of the clock hand. Using a probe detection task to measure attention, we show a difference in the distribution of visual spatial attention between a single-event condition (sound only or action only) and a two-event agency condition (action plus sound). Participants accordingly report the timing of the same event (the sound or the action) differently in the two conditions: spatial attentional shifts masquerading as temporal binding. Furthermore, computational modeling based on the attention measure can reproduce the temporal binding effect. Studies that use time judgment as an implicit marker of voluntary agency should first discount the artefactual changes in event timing reports that actually reflect differences in spatial attention. The study also has important implications for related results in mental chronometry obtained with the clock-like method since Wundt, as attention may well be a critical confounding factor in the interpretation of these studies.

Gaze Patterns in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder to Emotional Faces: Scanpath and Similarity.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) one of the fastest-growing diseases in the world is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders. Eye movement as a biomarker and clinical manifestation represents unconscious brain processes that can objectively disclose abnormal eye fixation of ASD. With the aid of eye-tracking technology, plentiful methods that identify ASD based on eye movements have been developed, but there are rarely works specifically for scanpaths. Scanpaths as visual representations describe eye movement dynamics on stimuli. In this paper, we propose a scanpath-based ASD detection method, which aims to learn the atypical visual pattern of ASD through continuous dynamic changes in gaze distribution. We extract four sequence features from scanpaths that represent changes and the differences in feature space and gaze behavior patterns between ASD and typical development (TD) are explored based on two similarity measures, multimatch and dynamic time warping (DTW). It indicates that ASD children show more individual specificity, while normal children tend to develop similar visual patterns. The most noticeable contrasts lie in the duration of attention and the spatial distribution of visual attention along the vertical direction. Classification is performed using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network with different structures and variants. The experimental results show that LSTM network outperforms traditional machine learning methods.

Users’ Visual Experience During Temporal Navigation in Forecast Weather Maps on Mobile Devices

This study investigated the impact of graphical user interface (GUI) design on the efficiency and effectiveness of map-based tasks on mobile devices, using time-based weather data as a case study. Three different GUI designs (button-type, circle-type, and slidebar) were tested in a between-subjects design, with 50 participants completing a set of map-based tasks on each GUI design. The results showed that GUI design significantly affected the effectiveness of map-based tasks. Participants performed better at tasks involving the search for the highest and lowest temperature amplitudes on the button-type GUI whereas the circle-type GUI showed lower effectiveness for tasks involving the search for day temperatures. Analysis of the visual attention distribution based on fixation count revealed that different GUI designs led to different patterns of visual attention. The study highlights the importance of considering GUI design in the development of mobile map applications, particularly for map-based tasks involving time-based data. The study shows that separating the date from the time navigation panel reduces necessary visual focus on the GUI itself and is a valuable insight for future GUI design.

Orienting attention across binocular disparity.

The spatial distribution of covert visual attention following an exogenous cue is often described as a spotlight, which disregards depth. Here, we study the orienting of attention across binocular disparity, a key depth cue in primates. A small Gabor patch target was displayed at ±12-arcmin horizontal offset in each eye independently, resulting in four possible 3D locations. With some latency relative to target onset (0-300 ms), an attentional cue was displayed at one of five binocular locations, resulting in various combinations of relative azimuth (horizontal position) and disparity (depth). Observers' task was to discriminate the orientation of the target. Observers' performance decreased as the relative azimuth between the cue and the target increased. Performance also decreased with the difference in disparity, even when the azimuth remained constant. Performance varied with the delay between the cue and the target and was maximal between 100 and 150 ms. The orienting of attention in azimuth and depth followed the same time course. We mapped the 3D shape of attentional focus over time and found that the spatial envelope was approximately a Gaussian modulated in time. These results could not be explained by monocular confounds nor by eye movements. We conclude that exogenous cues direct attention not only to their visual direction but also to their depth and that binocular disparity is sufficient to define that depth. The identical time course and interaction between azimuth and depth suggest a shared mechanism, and therefore that visual attention to spatial location is an intrinsically 3D process.

Restricting the Distribution of Visual Attention Reduces Cybersickness

Restricting the Distribution of Visual Attention Reduces Cybersickness

Exploring the distribution of visual attention in genioplasty trainees using eye-tracking technology

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the visual attention of genioplasty trainees using eye-tracking technology, with the goal of providing insights for optimizing genioplasty training strategies. MethodsTrainees were recruited for the study, and their visual attention distribution was monitored with an eye-tracking device while they watched a genioplasty procedure video. The percentage of fixation durations dedicated to areas of interest (surgical objects, instruments manipulated by the primary surgeon, and instruments controlled by assistants) were analyzed for each phase of the procedure. ResultsA total of 20 surgical trainees (8 males, 12 females; mean age, 27.8 years; range, 22–35 years) participated in the study. During the soft tissue reflection phase, trainees' percentage fixation durations on instruments controlled by the primary surgeon were higher than on surgical objects, but the difference was not significant (p > 0.05). The percentage fixation durations on instruments controlled by assistants were significantly lower than on those controlled by the primary surgeon or on surgical objects (p < 0.05). In the osteotomy, bone fixation, and suturing phases, the percentage fixation durations on surgical objects were highest, followed by instruments manipulated by the primary surgeon and those controlled by assistants, with significant differences (p < 0.05). ConclusionSurgical trainees need to invest significant cognitive effort in focusing on the instruments manipulated by the primary surgeon and the surgical objects during the soft tissue reflection phase, as well as on surgical objects during the osteotomy, fixation, and suturing phases. Emphasizing these elements during instruction can help trainees reduce their cognitive load and effectively master genioplasty techniques.

Been There, Seen That: Visualization of Movement and 3D Eye Tracking Data from Real‐World Environments

AbstractThe distribution of visual attention can be evaluated using eye tracking, providing valuable insights into usability issues and interaction patterns. However, when used in real, augmented, and collaborative environments, new challenges arise that go beyond desktop scenarios and purely virtual environments. Toward addressing these challenges, we present a visualization technique that provides complementary views on the movement and eye tracking data recorded from multiple people in real‐world environments. Our method is based on a space‐time cube visualization and a linked 3D replay of recorded data. We showcase our approach with an experiment that examines how people investigate an artwork collection. The visualization provides insights into how people moved and inspected individual pictures in their spatial context over time. In contrast to existing methods, this analysis is possible for multiple participants without extensive annotation of areas of interest. Our technique was evaluated with a think‐aloud experiment to investigate analysis strategies and an interview with domain experts to examine the applicability in other research fields.

Айтрекинг-исследование визуального внимания детей с нарушением слуха в ситуации обучения

&lt;p&gt;Potential mechanisms underlying atypical joint attention that impede effective learning are analyzed using the example of the consequences of hearing impairment. A sample of preschool children with hearing impairment after cochlear implantation (sensorineural hearing loss, ICD-10 class H90) was studied. For the study, an experimental situation was created that would allow tracing the learning difficulties in children with hearing impairments associated with the skills of joint attention. In the course of completing a training task jointly with an adult in children with hearing impairment, eye movements were recorded with a portable tracker in the form of Pupil Headset glasses. In the course of the study, it was possible to identify and visualize markers of oculomotor activity that impede their effective learning: distribution of visual attention over a wide area of the visual field, not in a focused mode; in the trajectory of eye movements and the position of fixations, there is a preference for non-social signals, non-target objects, difficulties in switching attention from one object to another. The main manifestation of joint attention deficit in preschoolers with hearing impairment is a decrease in the volume and time of stable maintenance of synchronicity of perception in the learning process. The parameters of oculomotor activity can serve as an indicator of the ability of a child with a hearing impairment to maintain attention to the sample form and a diagnostic indicator of the possible number of errors in the learning process. Such indicators are the duration and number of fixations. The role of multimodal means of maintaining visual attention to the sample in the process of teaching children with hearing impairment is shown. It was revealed that the attention of a child with hearing impairment to the face of an adult is part of the joint attention to the object, which improves the effectiveness of learning and is associated with a longer visual attention to the object (teaching pattern).&lt;/p&gt;

Restricting the distribution of visual attention reduces cybersickness

This study investigated whether increased attention to the central or peripheral visual field can reduce motion sickness in virtual reality (VR). A recent study found that increased attention to the periphery during vection was correlated with lower self-reported motion sickness susceptibility, which suggests that peripheral attention might be beneficial for avoiding cybersickness. We tested this experimentally by manipulating visual attention to central vs. peripheral fields during VR exposure. We also measured attention to the periphery during vection and motion sickness susceptibility to attempt to replicate the previous results. In Experiment 1, task-relevant cues to target locations were provided in the central or peripheral field during navigation in VR, and we found no differences in motion sickness. In Experiment 2, attention to the center or periphery was manipulated with a dot-probe task during passive VR exposure, and we found that motion sickness was greater in the condition that required attention to the periphery. In both experiments, there was no correlation between baseline attentional allocation and self-reported motion sickness susceptibility. Our results demonstrate that restricting attention to the central visual field can decrease cybersickness, which is consistent with previous findings that cybersickness is greater with large FOV.

Using eye tracking to examine expert-novice differences during simulated surgical training: A case study

Eye tracking data can serve as a unique metric for comparing expert-novice differences by providing insights into attentional processes, which can lead to timely intervention and better instruction. In this study, we used eye tracking technology to record and analyze the eye movements of experts and novices conducting a surgical procedure in a simulation environment. Specifically, we compared the differences in the eye movement parameters (i.e., average fixation, saccade, and blink durations), the distribution of visual attention, and the shift of visual focus between experts and novices across three task phases. We found that experts had longer fixation durations, shorter saccade durations, and more gaze points on task-relevant areas. The visual attention of novices was more diffuse than experts. Moreover, task complexity was found to moderate the size of expert-novice differences in their eye movements. Findings from this study inform the assessment of professional competency in the medicine domain. This study also helps to advance the use of eye tracking as a methodology for educational research.

아이트래킹을 활용한 포털사이트 배너광고의 시각적 주의에 관한 연구

This study aims to analyze the visual attention of banner advertisements including Time Board and Rolling Board, the representative advertising area of the web portals such as Naver and Daum, using eye-tracking which is the psychophysiological approaches through a theoretical review of Internet advertisements and eye-tracking. The analysis results showed that the most effective visual elements are layout, graphic images, and banner advertisements in various fonts, which account for the most of the area, and the gaze distribution and gaze occupancy of the areas designed with these elements have the highest visual attention rate. A high ratio of gaze distribution and gaze occupancy means high-level of visual attention and interest in such areas. Therefore, the study verified that eye-tracking experiments can be a more valid indicator for visual effects and advertising effects than behavioral indicators that directly measure consumers

Mining attention distribution paradigm: Discover gaze patterns and their association rules behind the visual image

Background and ObjectiveAttention allocation reflects the way of humans filtering and organizing the information. On one hand, different task scenarios seriously affect human's rule of attention distribution, on the other hand, visual attention reflecting the cognitive and psychological process. Most of the previous studies on visual attention allocation are based on cognitive models, predicted models, or statistical analysis of eye movement data or visual images, however, these methods are inadequate to provide an inside view of gaze behavior to reveal the attention distribution pattern within scenario context. Moreover, they seldom study the association rules of these patterns. Therefore, we adopted the big data mining approach to discover the paradigm of visual attention distribution. MethodsWe applied the data mining method to extract the gaze patterns to discover the regularities of attention distribution behavior within the scenario context. The proposed method consists of three components, tasks scenario segmented and clustered, gaze pattern mining, and association rule of frequent pattern mining. ResultsThe proposed approach is tested on the operation platform. The complex operation task is simultaneously segmented and clustered with the TICC-based method and evaluated by the BCI index. The operator's eye movement frequent patterns and their association rule are discovered. The results demonstrate that our method can associate the eye-tracking data with the task-oriented scene data. DiscussionThe proposed method provides the benefits of being able to explicitly express and quantitatively analyze people's visual attention patterns. The proposed method can not only be applied in the field of aerospace medicine and aviation psychology, but also can likely be applied to computer-aided diagnosis and follow-up tool for neurological disease and cognitive impairment related disease, such as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), neglect syndrome, social attention differences in ASD (Autism spectrum disorder).

Trait Anxiety Influences Negative Affect-modulated Distribution of Visuospatial Attention

Visuospatial attention allows humans to selectively gate and prioritize visual (including salient, emotional) information for efficiently navigating natural visual environments. As emotions have been known to influence attentional performance, we asked if emotions also modulate the spatial distribution of visual attention and whether any such effect was further associated with individual differences in anxiety. Participants (n = 28) discriminated the orientation of target Gabor patches co-presented with distractors, speedily and accurately. The key manipulation was randomly presenting a task-irrelevant face emotion prime briefly (50 ms), conveying Neutral/Disgust/Scrambled (Null) emotion signal 150 ms preceding the target patches. We calculated attention gradient (change in negative inverse attentional efficiency with unit change in distance from the source of emotion signal) as a metric to answer our questions. Specifically, the Disgust signal modulated the direction of attention gradients differentially in individuals with varying degrees of trait - anxiety, such that the gradients correlated negatively with individual trait-anxiety scores. This implies spatial shifts in Disgust-signalled visual attention with varying trait - anxiety levels. Neutral yielded attention gradients comparable to Scrambled, implying no specific effect of this signal and there was no association with anxiety levels in both. No correlation was observed between state - anxiety and the emotion-cued attention gradients. In sum, the results suggest that individual trait - anxiety levels influence the effect of negative and physiologically arousing emotion signals (e.g., Disgust) on the spatial distribution of visual attention. The findings could be of relevance for understanding biases in visual behaviour underlying affective states and disorders.

Территориальная идентификация городов на основе нейробрендинга

Neurobranding allows studying biometric indicators and consumer reactions to different brands to analyze visual attention, which makes it possible to open a new page in the study of territorial identification of cities. The purpose of this study is the eye tracking study of the coats of arms symbols of the cities of the Republic of Crimea in order to identify their visual significance and attractiveness, as well as the possibility of using them as brand identifiers of territories. The work is based on the biometric data obtained in the experimental eye tracking study. The object was the consumer perception of the coats of arms of municipalities of the Republic of Crimea in the context of different ethnic groups. The study revealed that the patterns of distribution of visual attention to the symbolic identifiers of the cities are different for the representatives of different ethnic groups inhabiting the Crimea, there are also gender differences in the study of brand identifiers. It is shown that the stronger identification of visual images with the specificity of a place, the more attractive and corresponding to reality the identifier itself is. The population’s knowledge of municipal symbols is not connected with their visual prominence. It is concluded that those identifiers that are poorly perceived, translate it to the represented city. Therefore, the idea of creation in the future on the basis of heraldry appropriate logos by means of borrowing its colors and fonts should be realized very thoughtfully. The consumer prefers simpler forms and meanings, as they are easier to remember, and probably the trend of minimalism will continue in conditions of general digitalization.

Development and Validation of Extended Reality Attentional Visual Field Tasks

A visuospatial attention measurement tool such as the Attentional Visual Field (AVF) task has been widely used in prior research to assess the spatial distribution of visual attention using a computerized task displaying visual targets on a computer screen. Although this computer-based task has been useful for examining individual differences in visuospatial attention and associated safety implications such as crash risk while driving, the computer-based task is limited due to its constraints. Newer AVF tasks were developed using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology, and the results of the two evaluation studies provided partial evidence for the validities of the new AVF tasks. Overall, our current findings suggest that VR and AR versions of the AVF task can capture some aspects of visuospatial attention and that further validation and improvement are needed to establish the robustness of these new methods.

A dynamic 1/f noise protocol to assess visual attention without biasing perceptual processing.

Psychophysical paradigms measure visual attention via localized test items to which observers must react or whose features have to be discriminated. These items, however, potentially interfere with the intended measurement, as they bias observers' spatial and temporal attention to their location and presentation time. Furthermore, visual sensitivity for conventional test items naturally decreases with retinal eccentricity, which prevents direct comparison of central and peripheral attention assessments. We developed a stimulus that overcomes these limitations. A brief oriented discrimination signal is seamlessly embedded into a continuously changing 1/f noise field, such that observers cannot anticipate potential test locations or times. Using our new protocol, we demonstrate that local orientation discrimination accuracy for 1/f filtered signals is largely independent of retinal eccentricity. Moreover, we show that items present in the visual field indeed shape the distribution of visual attention, suggesting that classical studies investigating the spatiotemporal dynamics of visual attention via localized test items may have obtained a biased measure. We recommend our protocol as an efficient method to evaluate the behavioral and neurophysiological correlates of attentional orienting across space and time.

The effect of information from dash-based human-machine interfaces on drivers' gaze patterns and lane-change manoeuvres after conditionally automated driving

The goal of this paper was to measure the effect of Human-Machine Interface (HMI) information and guidance on drivers' gaze and takeover behaviour during transitions of control from automation. The motivation for this study came from a gap in the literature, where previous research reports improved performance of drivers’ takeover based on HMI information, without considering its effect on drivers’ visual attention distribution, and how drivers also use the information available in the environment to guide their response. This driving simulator study investigated drivers’ lane-changing behaviour after resumption of control from automation. Different levels of information were provided on a dash-based HMI, prior to each lane change, to investigate how drivers distribute their attention between the surrounding environment and the HMI. The difficulty of the lane change was also manipulated by controlling the position of approaching vehicles in drivers’ offside lane. Results indicated that drivers' decision-making time was sensitive to the presence of nearby vehicles in the offside lane, but not directly influenced by the information on the HMI. In terms of gaze behaviour, the closer the position of vehicles in the offside lane, the longer drivers looked in that direction. Drivers looked more at the HMI, and less towards the road centre, when the HMI presented information about automation status, and included an advisory message indicating it was safe to change lane. Machine learning techniques showed a strong relationship between drivers' gaze to the information presented on the HMI, and decision-making time (DMT). These results contribute to our understanding of HMI design for automated vehicles, by demonstrating the attentional costs of an overly-informative HMI, and that drivers still rely on environmental information to perform a lane-change, even when the same information can be acquired by the HMI of the vehicle.