scholarly journals Studying visual search without an eye tracker: an assessment of artificial foveation

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura E. Matzen ◽  
Mallory C. Stites ◽  
Zoe. N. Gastelum
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Nuclear Safeguards ◽  
Search Performance ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
List Condition ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Verification Process

AbstractEye tracking is a useful tool for studying human cognition, both in the laboratory and in real-world applications. However, there are cases in which eye tracking is not possible, such as in high-security environments where recording devices cannot be introduced. After facing this challenge in our own work, we sought to test the effectiveness of using artificial foveation as an alternative to eye tracking for studying visual search performance. Two groups of participants completed the same list comparison task, which was a computer-based task designed to mimic an inventory verification process that is commonly performed by international nuclear safeguards inspectors. We manipulated the way in which the items on the inventory list were ordered and color coded. For the eye tracking group, an eye tracker was used to assess the order in which participants viewed the items and the number of fixations per trial in each list condition. For the artificial foveation group, the items were covered with a blurry mask except when participants moused over them. We tracked the order in which participants viewed the items by moving their mouse and the number of items viewed per trial in each list condition. We observed the same overall pattern of performance for the various list display conditions, regardless of the method. However, participants were much slower to complete the task when using artificial foveation and had more variability in their accuracy. Our results indicate that the artificial foveation method can reveal the same pattern of differences across conditions as eye tracking, but it can also impact participants’ task performance.

Effects of Image Segmentation and Target Number on Visual Search: An Eye-Tracking Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 1987-1991
Author(s):  
Kaifeng Liu ◽  
Calvin Ka-lun Or
Keyword(s):  
Image Segmentation ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Fixation Duration ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Search Performance ◽  
Target Number ◽  
Lower Accuracy ◽  
Time Accuracy

This is an eye-tracking study examining the effects of image segmentation and target number on visual search performance. A two-way repeated-measures computer-based visual search test was used for data collection. Thirty students participated in the test, in which they were asked to search for all of the Landolt Cs in 80 arrays of closed rings. The dependent variables were search time, accuracy, fixation count, and average fixation duration. Our principal findings were that some of the segmentation methods significantly improved accuracy, and reduced search time, fixation count, and average fixation duration, compared with the no-segmentation condition. Increased target number was found to be associated with longer search time, lower accuracy, more fixations, and longer average fixation duration. Our study indicates that although visual search tasks with multiple targets are relatively difficult, the visual search accuracy and efficiency can potentially be improved with the aid of image segmentation.

Evaluating the human ongoing visual search performance by eye tracking application and sequencing tests

2012 ◽  
Vol 107 (3) ◽  
pp. 468-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Veneri ◽  
Elena Pretegiani ◽  
Francesca Rosini ◽  
Pamela Federighi ◽  
Antonio Federico ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Search Performance

scholarly journals Beta and theta oscillations differentially support free versus forced control over multiple-target search

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joram van Driel ◽  
Eduard Ort ◽  
Johannes J. Fahrenfort ◽  
Christian N. L. Olivers
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Search Display ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Search Performance ◽  
Multiple Target ◽  
Proactive Control ◽  
Reactive Control ◽  
Target Search ◽  
Time Frequency

AbstractMany important situations require human observers to simultaneously search for more than one object. Despite a long history of research into visual search, the behavioral and neural mechanisms associated with multiple-target search are poorly understood. Here we test the novel theory that the efficiency of looking for multiple targets critically depends on the mode of cognitive control the environment affords to the observer. We used an innovative combination of EEG and eye tracking while participants searched for two targets, within two different contexts: Either both targets were present in the search display and observers were free to prioritize either one of them, thus enabling proactive control over selection; or only one of the two targets would be present in each search display, which requires reactive control to reconfigure selection when the wrong target is prioritized. During proactive control, both univariate and multivariate signals of beta-band (15–35 Hz) power suppression prior to display onset predicted switches between target selections. This signal originated over midfrontal and sensorimotor regions and has previously been associated with endogenous state changes. In contrast, imposed target selections requiring reactive control elicited prefrontal power enhancements in the delta/theta-band (2–8 Hz), but only after display onset. This signal predicted individual differences in associated oculomotor switch costs, reflecting reactive reconfiguration of target selection. The results provide compelling evidence that multiple target representations are differentially prioritized during visual search, and for the first time reveal distinct neural mechanisms underlying proactive and reactive control over multiple-target search.Significance StatementSearching for more than one object in complex visual scenes can be detrimental for search performance. While perhaps annoying in daily life, this can have severe consequences in professional settings such as medical and security screening. Previous research has not yet resolved whether multiple-target search involves changing priorities in what people attend to, and how such changes are controlled. We approached these questions by concurrently measuring cortical activity and eye movements using EEG and eye tracking, while observers searched for multiple possible targets. Our findings provide the first unequivocal support for the existence of two modes of control during multiple-target search, which are expressed in qualitatively distinct time-frequency signatures of the EEG both before and after visual selection.

The Influences of Goal and Laterality of a Prepared Hand Response on a Co-Occurring Visual Search

2015 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Coutté ◽  
Gérard Olivier ◽  
Sylvane Faure
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Visual Target ◽  
Motor Planning ◽  
Search Performance ◽  
Response Preparation ◽  
Manual Response ◽  
Response Hand ◽  
Computer Screen ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Manual Interaction

Computer use generally requires manual interaction with human-computer interfaces. In this experiment, we studied the influence of manual response preparation on co-occurring shifts of attention to information on a computer screen. The participants were to carry out a visual search task on a computer screen while simultaneously preparing to reach for either a proximal or distal switch on a horizontal device, with either their right or left hand. The response properties were not predictive of the target’s spatial position. The results mainly showed that the preparation of a manual response influenced visual search: (1) The visual target whose location was congruent with the goal of the prepared response was found faster; (2) the visual target whose location was congruent with the laterality of the response hand was found faster; (3) these effects have a cumulative influence on visual search performance; (4) the magnitude of the influence of the response goal on visual search is marginally negatively correlated with the rapidity of response execution. These results are discussed in the general framework of structural coupling between perception and motor planning.

Do you see what I mean?: Using mobile eye tracking to capture parent–child dynamics in the context of anxiety risk

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Leigha A. MacNeill ◽  
Xiaoxue Fu ◽  
Kristin A. Buss ◽  
Koraly Pérez-Edgar
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Positive Reinforcement ◽  
Parental Behavior ◽  
Anxiety Level ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Controlling Parenting ◽  
Attractor Strength ◽  
Child Age ◽  
Mobile Eye Tracking

Abstract Temperamental behavioral inhibition (BI) is a robust endophenotype for anxiety characterized by increased sensitivity to novelty. Controlling parenting can reinforce children's wariness by rewarding signs of distress. Fine-grained, dynamic measures are needed to better understand both how children perceive their parent's behaviors and the mechanisms supporting evident relations between parenting and socioemotional functioning. The current study examined dyadic attractor patterns (average mean durations) with state space grids, using children's attention patterns (captured via mobile eye tracking) and parental behavior (positive reinforcement, teaching, directives, intrusion), as functions of child BI and parent anxiety. Forty 5- to 7-year-old children and their primary caregivers completed a set of challenging puzzles, during which the child wore a head-mounted eye tracker. Child BI was positively correlated with proportion of parent's time spent teaching. Child age was negatively related, and parent anxiety level was positively related, to parent-focused/controlling parenting attractor strength. There was a significant interaction between parent anxiety level and child age predicting parent-focused/controlling parenting attractor strength. This study is a first step to examining the co-occurrence of parenting behavior and child attention in the context of child BI and parental anxiety levels.

scholarly journals ARETT: Augmented Reality Eye Tracking Toolkit for Head Mounted Displays

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 2234
Author(s):  
Sebastian Kapp ◽  
Michael Barz ◽  
Sergey Mukhametov ◽  
Daniel Sonntag ◽  
Jochen Kuhn
Keyword(s):  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
User Interaction ◽  
R Package ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Unity 3D ◽  
Accuracy And Precision ◽  
Head Mounted Displays ◽  
Virtual And Augmented Reality ◽  
Microsoft Hololens

Currently an increasing number of head mounted displays (HMD) for virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) are equipped with integrated eye trackers. Use cases of these integrated eye trackers include rendering optimization and gaze-based user interaction. In addition, visual attention in VR and AR is interesting for applied research based on eye tracking in cognitive or educational sciences for example. While some research toolkits for VR already exist, only a few target AR scenarios. In this work, we present an open-source eye tracking toolkit for reliable gaze data acquisition in AR based on Unity 3D and the Microsoft HoloLens 2, as well as an R package for seamless data analysis. Furthermore, we evaluate the spatial accuracy and precision of the integrated eye tracker for fixation targets with different distances and angles to the user (n=21). On average, we found that gaze estimates are reported with an angular accuracy of 0.83 degrees and a precision of 0.27 degrees while the user is resting, which is on par with state-of-the-art mobile eye trackers.

scholarly journals The impact of translation modality on user experience: an eye-tracking study of the Microsoft Word user interface

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Guerberof Arenas ◽  
Joss Moorkens ◽  
Sharon O’Brien
Keyword(s):  
User Interface ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Software Products ◽  
Microsoft Word ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Given

AbstractThis paper presents results of the effect of different translation modalities on users when working with the Microsoft Word user interface. An experimental study was set up with 84 Japanese, German, Spanish, and English native speakers working with Microsoft Word in three modalities: the published translated version, a machine translated (MT) version (with unedited MT strings incorporated into the MS Word interface) and the published English version. An eye-tracker measured the cognitive load and usability according to the ISO/TR 16982 guidelines: i.e., effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction followed by retrospective think-aloud protocol. The results show that the users’ effectiveness (number of tasks completed) does not significantly differ due to the translation modality. However, their efficiency (time for task completion) and self-reported satisfaction are significantly higher when working with the released product as opposed to the unedited MT version, especially when participants are less experienced. The eye-tracking results show that users experience a higher cognitive load when working with MT and with the human-translated versions as opposed to the English original. The results suggest that language and translation modality play a significant role in the usability of software products whether users complete the given tasks or not and even if they are unaware that MT was used to translate the interface.

scholarly journals A Fast and Effective System for Analysis of Optokinetic Waveforms with a Low-Cost Eye Tracking Device

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Chong-Bin Tsai ◽  
Wei-Yu Hung ◽  
Wei-Yen Hsu
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movements ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Saccadic Eye Movements ◽  
Slow Phase ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Effective System ◽  
Tracking Device ◽  
Traditional Approaches

Optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) is an involuntary eye movement induced by motion of a large proportion of the visual field. It consists of a “slow phase (SP)” with eye movements in the same direction as the movement of the pattern and a “fast phase (FP)” with saccadic eye movements in the opposite direction. Study of OKN can reveal valuable information in ophthalmology, neurology and psychology. However, the current commercially available high-resolution and research-grade eye tracker is usually expensive. Methods & Results: We developed a novel fast and effective system combined with a low-cost eye tracking device to accurately quantitatively measure OKN eye movement. Conclusions: The experimental results indicate that the proposed method achieves fast and promising results in comparisons with several traditional approaches.

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