eye tracking
research method well suited for collecting data related to attention
measures overt attention (attention that is tied to where someone is looking)
frequently used for basic research involving reading, visual search , scene viewing, etc
measurements that can be derived from eye trackers
saccades, fixations , fixation duration, regressions, pupil dilation
saccades
rapid eye movement
fixations
short pauses on points of interest
fixation duration
duration of fixation
regressions
revisiting something already fixated
pupil dilation
provides index of autonomic activity
attentional capture
occurs when particularly salient properties of stimuli result in rapid and involuntary shifts of motion
semantic regularity and directing attention
study found participants were more likely to detect stop signs when they were at intersections and often missed them when they were placed somewhere else.
participants have learned that this is where stop signs are typically placed at their environment and this expectation based on prior knowledge directs their search behaviour
scene schemas and directing attention
scene schemas refer to prior knowledge about what is found in typical scenes. these can affect scanning patterns and what;/how meaning is extracted.
task instructions and directing attention
differences in eye movements related to task instructions/ goals demonstrates a modulatory role for top down processing.
ex. eye movements change when participants are given a memorization task vs a visual search task
-timing of when people look at specific places influenced by the sequences of actions involved in the task (task demands)
spatial attention
refers to attention that has been bound to specific locations in space
attentional spotlight metaphor has been used in this context
same object advantage
people are faster and more accurate at processing two visual features when they belong to the same object compared to when they belong to different objects
automatization
process of making a task, process, or behavior automatic.
-practice can enable people to do 2 things simultaneously with ease that were initially difficult. often happens through automatization
characters of automatic processing
occurs without intention.
may/may not involve conscious awareness
occurs at a cost of some to none of a persons cognitive resources
inattentional blindness
refers to instances in which a stimulus that is not attended to is not perceived at all.
this can occur for stimuli that seem relatively salient, even when a person could be looking directly at it
change detection
involve presenting multiple pictures to participants and asking them to report whatever changes they notice across the stimuli
change blindness
occurs when differences between different versions of stimuli are not perceived. often occurs for changes that seem like they should be relatively obvious.
ex. failures to notice discontinuities in film/ television demonstrates this phenomenon
