An Eye-tracking Study of Information Sampling and Decision-making Under Stress

Abstract

The objective of this study was to probe the cognitive processing of cockpit warning displays in emergency situations by assessing the effects of acute stress on information sampling and decision-making using eye tracking equipment. A novel image-matching computer task based on the Matching Familiar Figures Task (MFFT) was designed to provide a measure of cognitive impulsivity. The stress induction procedure involved a challenging manual response task coupled with unpredictable and uncontrollable bursts of loud, aversive noise, and a matched neutral control task. Healthy participants (n=40) completed the task under two conditions: neutral and stress. Participants under stress made more image matching errors and visually sampled less in terms of both saccade count and dwell time on the MFFT, and made a greater number of responses without having first sampled all information areas displayed on the screen at least once ('premature closure'). The findings of this study may have useful implications for the design of visual information displays across a variety of industries, particularly aviation.

Application of Eye Tracking Technology in Aviation, Maritime, and Construction Industries: A Systematic Review

“…Saccades last around 10–100 ms, during which time visual information transfer is suppressed [ 110 ]; therefore, saccades are not directly related to cognitive processing [ 33 ]. However, saccade velocity can be related to lethargy, stress, and fatigue [ 64 , 93 ]. For example, saccade rate decreases with fatigue and difficult tasks [ 27 ].…”

“…For example, an increased pupillary dilation response has been related to increased processing load in different maritime settings [ 34 , 45 ]. Moreover, pupil size has been used to understand the cognitive effects of stress in aviation emergencies and conflict [ 56 , 64 ]. In quay crane operators, pupil dilation was used to measure alertness and fatigue evolution [ 24 ].…”

“…Stress has been studied with eye tracking in the maritime and aviation industries, whereas anxiety was only studied in aviation scenarios, as presented in Figure 10 . For example, in aviation, eye tracking was used by Stankovic et al [ 64 ] to study information sampling and decision-making under acute stress. Different participants were required to perform a modified version of the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT).…”

“…Their results showed that, under stress, the participants made decisions before fully sampling all available information, thereby demonstrating more impulsive decision-making behaviour. According to Stankovic et al [ 64 ], the implications of their study could help to improve the design of visual displays, information consoles, and warning systems in cockpits to reduce accidents in aviation emergencies. In another study, Vine et al [ 68 ] examined the influence of stress on the performance of highly skilled commercial pilots.…”

A Survey of Eye Tracking in Automobile and Aviation Studies: Implications for Eye-Tracking Studies in Marine Operations

“…Those focused on safety measure hazard detection [13], steering [14], automated driving [15], luminance [16] by drivers; and landing [17], conflict detection [18], air traffic control [19] by pilots. Mental tests address mental workload [20], [21], and fatigue [22], [23].…”