scholarly journals Visual Attention and Cognitive Archaeology: An Eye-Tracking Study of Palaeolithic Stone Tools

Perception ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 030100662110695
Author(s):  
María Silva-Gago ◽  
Flora Ioannidou ◽  
Annapaola Fedato ◽  
Timothy Hodgson ◽  
Emiliano Bruner
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Stone Tools ◽  
Visual Exploration ◽  
Visual Salience ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Cognitive Archaeology ◽  
Eye Fixations ◽  
Functional Aspects ◽  
Tool Types

The study of lithic technology can provide information on human cultural evolution. This article aims to analyse visual behaviour associated with the exploration of ancient stone artefacts and how this relates to perceptual mechanisms in humans. In Experiment 1, we used eye tracking to record patterns of eye fixations while participants viewed images of stone tools, including examples of worked pebbles and handaxes. The results showed that the focus of gaze was directed more towards the upper regions of worked pebbles and on the basal areas for handaxes. Knapped surfaces also attracted more fixation than natural cortex for both tool types. Fixation distribution was different to that predicted by models that calculate visual salience. Experiment 2 was an online study using a mouse-click attention tracking technique and included images of unworked pebbles and ‘mixed’ images combining the handaxe's outline with the pebble's unworked texture. The pattern of clicks corresponded to that revealed using eye tracking and there were differences between tools and other images. Overall, the findings suggest that visual exploration is directed towards functional aspects of tools. Studies of visual attention and exploration can supply useful information to inform understanding of human cognitive evolution and tool use.

scholarly journals S188. VISUAL ATTENTION IN EARLY-ONSET SCHIZOPHRENIA AND OTHER NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS: THE IMPACT OF SPEAKING WHILE LOOKING AT PICTURES OF SOCIAL INTERACTIONS – EVIDENCE FROM EYE TRACKING DATA

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S109-S110
Author(s):  
Chara Ioannou ◽  
Daniela Canu ◽  
Katarina Müller ◽  
Matthias Martin ◽  
Stefan Bender ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽  
Early Onset ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Visual Exploration ◽  
Early Onset Schizophrenia ◽  
Free Viewing ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Visual attention in Schizophrenia (SZ) differs from that of neuro-typical controls, and scan-path abnormalities have been proposed as a robust marker of the disorder (Nishiura et al., 2007). In free viewing paradigms, a restricted area of visual exploration has been reported as a robust atypical finding in SZ participants across a variety of depicted contents (Beedie et al., 2011), and has been shown to be a highly efficient discriminator between SZ and healthy controls (Benson et al., 2012). Moreover, speaking about what one sees during the act of looking has been shown to impact visual exploration behavior (Klein et al., 2014). Finally, despite clinical and genetic-biological relationships between schizophrenia, autism and ADHD (Owen & O’Donovan, 2017) there is, to our knowledge, yet no direct comparison between these neurodevelopmental disorders using eye tracking. The “head-to-head” comparison is the primary objective of this study. Methods We tested four groups of adolescent and young adults, namely early-onset Schizophrenia (SZ, N=21, 15 males, mean age ± 1 standard deviation 19.7±1.7 years), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, N=28, 15 males, 19.9±1.4 years), Autism (ASD, N=26, 25 males, 19.7±1.9 years), and typical controls (TD, N= 29, 12 males, 19.8±1.6 years). The ocular-motor task battery comprised of different free viewing tasks including free viewing of different kinds of social interactions in static pictures whilst solely viewing versus viewing-plus speaking (in counterbalanced order). Eye movements were recorded with 1.000Hz using the EyeLink 1000+ system and analyzed with Data Viewer Eyelink Software and MATLAB (Version R2017a, Mathworks, USA). Statistical Analysis was performed in SPSS Statistics 2.3 (IBM, USA). Results Visual attention of SZ patients manifested significant less gaze scatter than TD whilst merely looking at the images. During looking and speaking, however, the two groups had a similar spatial scatter of fixations. Preliminary analyses indicate that participants with ADHD and ASD did not differ from TD in this measure. Discussion Constraint gaze scatter in visual exploration is a robust and discriminating finding in schizophrenia that has been associated with the negative symptomatology of the disorder. The present results confirm our previous findings (Klein et al., 2014) and suggest that the act of speaking may partially counteract and compensate the restricted visual scanning performed by SZ participants, thus contributing to a better understanding of Visual Attention in SZ and its differentiation from other neurodevelopmental disorders.

A Statistical Physics Perspective to Understand Social Visual Attention in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Perception ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 889-913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessio Liberati ◽  
Roberta Fadda ◽  
Giuseppe Doneddu ◽  
Sara Congiu ◽  
Marco A. Javarone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Eye Movements ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Statistical Physics ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Visual Exploration ◽  
Subjective Expectations ◽  
Children With Asd

This study investigated social visual attention in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and with typical development (TD) in the light of Brockmann and Geisel’s model of visual attention. The probability distribution of gaze movements and clustering of gaze points, registered with eye-tracking technology, was studied during a free visual exploration of a gaze stimulus. A data-driven analysis of the distribution of eye movements was chosen to overcome any possible methodological problems related to the subjective expectations of the experimenters about the informative contents of the image in addition to a computational model to simulate group differences. Analysis of the eye-tracking data indicated that the scanpaths of children with TD and ASD were characterized by eye movements geometrically equivalent to Lévy flights. Children with ASD showed a higher frequency of long saccadic amplitudes compared with controls. A clustering analysis revealed a greater dispersion of eye movements for these children. Modeling of the results indicated higher values of the model parameter modulating the dispersion of eye movements for children with ASD. Together, the experimental results and the model point to a greater dispersion of gaze points in ASD.

scholarly journals Tracking eye-gaze in smart home systems (SHS): first insights from eye-tracking and self-report measures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Cassioli ◽  
Laura Angioletti ◽  
Michela Balconi
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Smart Home ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Tracking System ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Visual Exploration ◽  
Living Room ◽  
Psychological Traits

AbstractHuman–computer interaction (HCI) is particularly interesting because full-immersive technology may be approached differently by users, depending on the complexity of the interaction, users’ personality traits, and their motivational systems inclination. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between psychological factors and attention towards specific tech-interactions in a smart home system (SHS). The relation between personal psychological traits and eye-tracking metrics is investigated through self-report measures [locus of control (LoC), user experience (UX), behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and behavioral activation system (BAS)] and a wearable and wireless near-infrared illumination based eye-tracking system applied to an Italian sample (n = 19). Participants were asked to activate and interact with five different tech-interaction areas with different levels of complexity (entrance, kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedroom) in a smart home system (SHS), while their eye-gaze behavior was recorded. Data showed significant differences between a simpler interaction (entrance) and a more complex one (living room), in terms of number of fixation. Moreover, slower time to first fixation in a multifaceted interaction (bathroom), compared to simpler ones (kitchen and living room) was found. Additionally, in two interaction conditions (living room and bathroom), negative correlations were found between external LoC and fixation count, and between BAS reward responsiveness scores and fixation duration. Findings led to the identification of a two-way process, where both the complexity of the tech-interaction and subjects’ personality traits are important impacting factors on the user’s visual exploration behavior. This research contributes to understand the user responsiveness adding first insights that may help to create more human-centered technology.

scholarly journals Visual Attention Software: A New Tool for Understanding the “Subliminal” Experience of the Built Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 6197
Author(s):  
Alexandros A. Lavdas ◽  
Nikos A. Salingaros ◽  
Ann Sussman
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Computer Gaming ◽  
Geometric Patterns ◽  
Relative Design ◽  
Fixation Points ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Artificial Intelligence Application ◽  
Intelligence Application

Eye-tracking technology is a biometric tool that has found many commercial and research applications. The recent advent of affordable wearable sensors has considerably expanded the range of these possibilities to fields such as computer gaming, education, entertainment, health, neuromarketing, psychology, etc. The Visual Attention Software by 3M (3M-VAS) is an artificial intelligence application that was formulated using experimental data from eye-tracking. It can be used to predict viewer reactions to images, generating fixation point probability maps and fixation point sequence estimations, thus revealing pre-attentive processing of visual stimuli with a very high degree of accuracy. We have used 3M-VAS software in an innovative implementation to analyze images of different buildings, either in their original state or photographically manipulated, as well as various geometric patterns. The software not only reveals non-obvious fixation points, but also overall relative design coherence, a key element of Christopher Alexander’s theory of geometrical order. A more evenly distributed field of attention seen in some structures contrasts with other buildings being ignored, those showing instead unconnected points of splintered attention. Our findings are non-intuitive and surprising. We link these results to both Alexander’s theory and Neuroscience, identify potential pitfalls in the software’s use, and also suggest ways to avoid them.

scholarly journals Glimpse: A Gaze-Based Measure of Temporal Salience

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3099
Author(s):  
V. Javier Traver ◽  
Judith Zorío ◽  
Luis A. Leiva
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Temporal Evolution ◽  
Temporal Consistency ◽  
Visual Salience ◽  
Temporal Dimension ◽  
Spatial Perspective ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Scoring Algorithms ◽  
Over Time

Temporal salience considers how visual attention varies over time. Although visual salience has been widely studied from a spatial perspective, its temporal dimension has been mostly ignored, despite arguably being of utmost importance to understand the temporal evolution of attention on dynamic contents. To address this gap, we proposed Glimpse, a novel measure to compute temporal salience based on the observer-spatio-temporal consistency of raw gaze data. The measure is conceptually simple, training free, and provides a semantically meaningful quantification of visual attention over time. As an extension, we explored scoring algorithms to estimate temporal salience from spatial salience maps predicted with existing computational models. However, these approaches generally fall short when compared with our proposed gaze-based measure. Glimpse could serve as the basis for several downstream tasks such as segmentation or summarization of videos. Glimpse’s software and data are publicly available.

Does What We See Shape History? Examining Workload History as a Function of Performance and Ambient/Focal Visual Attention

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Shannon P. Devlin ◽  
Jennifer K. Byham ◽  
Sara Lu Riggs
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Performance Measure ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Unexpected Finding ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
History Effects ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Workload History ◽  
Over Time

Changes in task demands can have delayed adverse impacts on performance. This phenomenon, known as the workload history effect, is especially of concern in dynamic work domains where operators manage fluctuating task demands. The existing workload history literature does not depict a consistent picture regarding how these effects manifest, prompting research to consider measures that are informative on the operator's process. One promising measure is visual attention patterns, due to its informativeness on various cognitive processes. To explore its ability to explain workload history effects, participants completed a task in an unmanned aerial vehicle command and control testbed where workload transitioned gradually and suddenly. The participants’ performance and visual attention patterns were studied over time to identify workload history effects. The eye-tracking analysis consisted of using a recently developed eye-tracking metric called coefficient K , as it indicates whether visual attention is more focal or ambient. The performance results found workload history effects, but it depended on the workload level, time elapsed, and performance measure. The eye-tracking analysis suggested performance suffered when focal attention was deployed during low workload, which was an unexpected finding. When synthesizing these results, they suggest unexpected visual attention patterns can impact performance immediately over time. Further research is needed; however, this work shows the value of including a real-time visual attention measure, such as coefficient K , as a means to understand how the operator manages varying task demands in complex work environments.

Visual attention for solving multiple-choice science problem: An eye-tracking analysis

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 375-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng-Jung Tsai ◽  
Huei-Tse Hou ◽  
Meng-Lung Lai ◽  
Wan-Yi Liu ◽  
Fang-Ying Yang
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Science Problem

Seeking attention: an eye tracking study of in-store merchandise displays

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 561-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Huddleston ◽  
Bridget K. Behe ◽  
Stella Minahan ◽  
R. Thomas Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Product Information ◽  
Product Category ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
First Time ◽  
Tracking Technology

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the role that visual measures of attention to product and information and price display signage have on purchase intention. The authors assessed the effect of visual attention to the product, information or price sign on purchase intention, as measured by likelihood to buy. Design/methodology/approach – The authors used eye-tracking technology to collect data from Australian and US garden centre customers, who viewed eight plant displays in which the signs had been altered to show either price or supplemental information (16 images total). The authors compared the role of visual attention to price and information sign, and the role of visual attention to the product when either sign was present on likelihood to buy. Findings – Overall, providing product information on a sign without price elicited higher likelihood to buy than providing a sign with price. The authors found a positive relationship between visual attention to price on the display sign and likelihood to buy, but an inverse relationship between visual attention to information and likelihood to buy. Research limitations/implications – An understanding of the attention-capturing power of merchandise display elements, especially signs, has practical significance. The findings will assist retailers in creating more effective and efficient display signage content, for example, featuring the product information more prominently than the price. The study was conducted on a minimally packaged product, live plants, which may reduce the ability to generalize findings to other product types. Practical implications – The findings will assist retailers in creating more effective and efficient display signage content. The study used only one product category (plants) which may reduce the ability to generalize findings to other product types. Originality/value – The study is one of the first to use eye-tracking in a macro-level, holistic investigation of the attention-capturing value of display signage information and its relationship to likelihood to buy. Researchers, for the first time, now have the ability to empirically test the degree to which attention and decision-making are linked.

How Do Cardiology Practitioners Interpret an Electrocardiogram: An Eye Tracking Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Tahri Sqalli ◽  
Dena Al-Thani ◽  
Mohamed Badreldin Elshazly ◽  
Mohammed Ahmad Al-Hijji ◽  
Yahya Sqalli Houssaini
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Visual Expertise ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Eye Fixations ◽  
Expertise Level ◽  
Ecg Leads

BACKGROUND Visual expertise refers to advanced visual skills demonstrated when executing domain‐specific visual tasks. Understanding healthcare practitioners’ visual expertise across different levels in the healthcare sector is crucial in clarifying how to acquire accurate interpretations of electrocardiograms (ECGs). OBJECTIVE The study aims to quantify, through the use of eye-tracking, differences in the visual expertise of medical practitioners, such as medical students, cardiology nurses, technicians, fellows, and consultants, when interpreting ECGs. METHODS Sixty-three participants with different healthcare roles participated in an eye-tracking study that consisted of interpreting 10 ECGs with different heart abnormalities. A counterbalanced within-subjects design was employed with one independent variable consisting of the expertise level of the medical practitioners and two measured eye-tracking dependent variables (fixations count and fixations revisitation). Eye-tracking data was assessed according to the accuracy of interpretation and frequency interpreters visited different leads in ECGs. In addition, the median and standard deviation in the interquartile range for the fixations count and the mean and standard deviation for the ECG lead revisitations were calculated. RESULTS Accuracy of interpretation ranged between 98% among consultants and 52% among medical students. Eye-tracking features also reflected this difference in the accuracy of interpretation. The results of the eye fixations count and eye fixations revisitations indicate that the less experienced medical practitioners need to observe various ECG leads more carefully. However, experienced medical practitioners rely on visual pattern recognition to provide their ECG diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS The results show that visual expertise for ECG interpretation is linked to the practitioner’s role within the healthcare system and the number of years of practical experience interpreting ECGs. Medical practitioners focus on different ECG leads and different waveform abnormalities according to their role in the healthcare sector and their expertise levels.

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