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Article

Flipping the World Upside Down: Using Eye Tracking in Virtual Reality to Study Visual Search in Inverted Scenes

by
Julia Beitner
1,*,
Jason Helbing
1,
Dejan Draschkow
2,3,
Erwan J. David
1 and
Melissa L.-H. Võ
1
1
Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
2
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK
3
Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. Eye Mov. Res. 2022, 15(3), 1-16; https://doi.org/10.16910/jemr.15.3.5
Submission received: 24 November 2022 / Published: 31 March 2023

Abstract

Image inversion is a powerful tool for investigating cognitive mechanisms of visual perception. However, studies have mainly used inversion in paradigms presented on twodimensional computer screens. It remains open whether disruptive effects of inversion also hold true in more naturalistic scenarios. In our study, we used scene inversion in virtual reality in combination with eye tracking to investigate the mechanisms of repeated visual search through three-dimensional immersive indoor scenes. Scene inversion affected all gaze and head measures except fixation durations and saccade amplitudes. Our behavioral results, surprisingly, did not entirely follow as hypothesized: While search efficiency dropped significantly in inverted scenes, participants did not utilize more memory as measured by search time slopes. This indicates that despite the disruption, participants did not try to compensate the increased difficulty by using more memory. Our study highlights the importance of investigating classical experimental paradigms in more naturalistic scenarios to advance research on daily human behavior.
Keywords: eye movements; eye tracking; virtual reality; scene perception; visual search; incidental memory; scene inversion eye movements; eye tracking; virtual reality; scene perception; visual search; incidental memory; scene inversion

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Beitner, J.; Helbing, J.; Draschkow, D.; David, E.J.; Võ, M.L.-H. Flipping the World Upside Down: Using Eye Tracking in Virtual Reality to Study Visual Search in Inverted Scenes. J. Eye Mov. Res. 2022, 15, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.16910/jemr.15.3.5

AMA Style

Beitner J, Helbing J, Draschkow D, David EJ, Võ ML-H. Flipping the World Upside Down: Using Eye Tracking in Virtual Reality to Study Visual Search in Inverted Scenes. Journal of Eye Movement Research. 2022; 15(3):1-16. https://doi.org/10.16910/jemr.15.3.5

Chicago/Turabian Style

Beitner, Julia, Jason Helbing, Dejan Draschkow, Erwan J. David, and Melissa L.-H. Võ. 2022. "Flipping the World Upside Down: Using Eye Tracking in Virtual Reality to Study Visual Search in Inverted Scenes" Journal of Eye Movement Research 15, no. 3: 1-16. https://doi.org/10.16910/jemr.15.3.5

APA Style

Beitner, J., Helbing, J., Draschkow, D., David, E. J., & Võ, M. L.-H. (2022). Flipping the World Upside Down: Using Eye Tracking in Virtual Reality to Study Visual Search in Inverted Scenes. Journal of Eye Movement Research, 15(3), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.16910/jemr.15.3.5

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