Eye movements during search and detection in comparative visual search

Abstract

Motivated by the fact that previous visual memory paradigms have imposed encoding and retrieval constraints, the present article presents two experiments that address how observers allocate eye movements in memory and comparison processes in the absence of constraints. A comparative visual search design (Pomplun, Sichelschmidt, et al., 2001) was utilized in which observers searched for a difference between two images presented side by side. Robust time course effects were obtained, whereby search was characterized by brief fixations and a high proportion of comparative saccades. Then, upon target detection, fixations were extended, more comparative saccades were elicited, and the search focus was narrowed. The saliency and presence of differences did not guide attention, and detection was contingent upon direct fixation of the targets. The results indicate that, when full control is given, observers adopt a strategy that cuts down on memory usage in favor of restricted encoding and active scanning.

Gaze behavior in face comparison: The roles of sex, task, and symmetry

“…Reduced fixation to eccentric AOIs could be an explanation as well, but the results of other studies cast doubt on such an eccentricity effect. For example, Galpin and Underwood (2005), in a comparative visual search study, had their observers make 16.5º eye movements without the possibility to move their heads, and apparently without any difficulty on their part. In the present experiment, the visual angle between the left eyes of both faces was typically about 14º.…”

“…in comparative visual search tasks (Galpin & Underwood, 2005), or they could compare the faces as a "whole." The latter would be indicated, for example, by more extensive scanning patterns on each face before comparison with the other face, and/or by relatively few comparison saccades between faces.…”

Cognitive Style: Time to Experiment

“…This is possible because evidence shows that eye fixations pick up information as and when it is used for task completion (Hayhoe and Ballard, 2005). Within cognitive science many studies have applied eye-tracking to understand strategy across a range of tasks, including mental rotation (Just and Carpenter, 1976), visual search (Zelinsky et al, 1997), and comparative visual search (Galpin and Underwood, 2005). However, the focus of this work has been on general patterns in strategy aggregated across participants, rather than individual differences.…”

“…However, the focus of this work has been on general patterns in strategy aggregated across participants, rather than individual differences. For example, Galpin and Underwood (2005) demonstrated that observers searched for differences between two pictures by making frequent point-by-point comparisons until detecting a difference, upon which the focus of attention narrowed and fixation durations increased. However, no attempt was made to assess how this strategy varied across participants.…”

The Use of Eye Tracking in Non-Immersive Virtual Reality for Cognitive Assessment

“…Isto sugere que os participantes com menores pontuações no MMSE apresentam maior NV devido a um potencial fraco uso da memória de trabalho. Estes dados reforçam a ideia de que, no grupo com pontuação inferior no MMSE, a manutenção e processamento da informação visual apresenta uma maior deterioração ao longo do tempo, existindo a necessidade de realizar sacadas alternadas entre AdI para manter o traço mnésico ativo (Galpin & Underwood, 2005).…”