Journal of Eye Movement Research

12 pages, 4035 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Driving with Homonymous Visual Field Defects: Driving Performance and Compensatory Gaze Movements

by Thomas C. Kübler, Enkelejda Kasneci, Wolfgang Rosenstiel, Kathrin Aehling, Martin Heister, Katja Nagel, Ulrich Schiefer and Elena Papageorgiou

J. Eye Mov. Res. 2015, 8(5), 1-12; https://doi.org/10.16910/jemr.8.5.5 (registering DOI) - 10 Dec 2015

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 51

Abstract

Aim of this pilot study was to assess the driving performance and its relationship to the visual search behavior, i.e., eye and head movements, of patients with homonymous visual field defects (HVFDs) in comparison to healthy-sighted subjects during a simulated driving test. Eight HVFD patients and six healthy-sighted age- and gender-matched control subjects underwent a 40-minute driving test with nine hazardous situations. Eye and head movements were recorded during the drive. Four out of eight patients passed the driving test and showed a driving performance similar to that of the control group. One control group subject failed the test. Patients who passed the test showed an increased number of head and eye movements. Patients who failed the test showed a rightwards-bias in average lane position, probably in an attempt to maximize the safety margin to oncoming traffic. Our study supports the hypothesis that a considerable subgroup of subjects with HVFDs show a safe driving behavior, because they adapt their viewing behavior by increased visual scanning. Full article

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10 pages, 588 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Vertical Asymmetry in Saccades

by Mathias Abegg, Dario Pianezzi and Jason J. S. Barton

J. Eye Mov. Res. 2015, 8(5), 1-10; https://doi.org/10.16910/jemr.8.5.3 - 4 Nov 2015

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 57

Abstract

Visual exploration of natural scenes imposes demands that differ between the upper and the lower visual hemifield. Yet little is known about how ocular motor performance is affected by the location of visual stimuli or the direction of a behavioural response. We compared saccadic latencies between upper and lower hemifield in a variety of conditions, including short-latency prosaccades, long-latency prosaccades, antisaccades, memory-guided saccades and saccades with increased attentional and selection demand. All saccade types except memory-guided saccades had shorter latencies when saccades were directed towards the upper field as compared to downward saccades (p < 0.05). This upper-field reaction time advantage probably arises in ocular motor rather than visual processing. It may originate in structures involved in motor preparation rather than execution. Full article

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15 pages, 2204 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Robust Head Mounted Wearable Eye Tracking System for Dynamical Calibration

by Antonio Lanata, Alberto Greco, Gaetano Valenza and Enzo Pasquale Scilingo

J. Eye Mov. Res. 2015, 8(5), 1-15; https://doi.org/10.16910/jemr.8.5.2 - 3 Nov 2015

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 92

Abstract

In this work, a new head mounted eye tracking system is presented. Based on computer vision techniques, the system integrates eye images and head movement, in real time, performing a robust gaze point tracking. Nystagmus movements due to vestibulo-ocular reflex are monitored and integrated. The system proposed here is a strongly improved version of a previous platform called HATCAM, which was robust against changes of illumination conditions. The new version, called HAT-Move, is equipped with accurate inertial motion unit to detect the head movement enabling eye gaze even in dynamical conditions. HAT-Move performance is investigated in a group of healthy subjects in both static and dynamic conditions, i.e., when head is kept still or free to move. Evaluation was performed in terms of amplitude of the angular error between the real coordinates of the fixed points and those computed by the system in two experimental setups, specifically, in laboratory settings and in a 3D virtual reality (VR) scenario. The achieved results showed that HAT-Move is able to achieve eye gaze angular error of about 1 degree along both horizontal and vertical directions. Full article

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18 pages, 544 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Measuring Attention in Second Language Reading Using Eye-Tracking: The Case of the Noticing Hypothesis

by Emrah Dolgunsöz

J. Eye Mov. Res. 2015, 8(5), 1-18; https://doi.org/10.16910/jemr.8.5.4 (registering DOI) - 2 Nov 2015

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 65

Abstract

Taking Schmidt’s (1990) noticing hypothesis as point of departure this study aims to measure attention and learning gains during second language (L2) reading by making use of eye-tracking methodology. Relying on Robinson’s hierarchical memory model (1995, 2003), it is hypothesized that vocabulary learning and attention are closely associated. After a vocabulary pre-test, seventy-five learners of English read a standard text individually while their eye movements were being recorded followed by an immediate post-test. The results revealed that learners spent more time on unknown words than they did on familiar ones. Attention and learning gains also positively correlated; fixation values on an unknown word increased its further recognition probability in post-test. Finally, the findings revealed a cut-off point of approximately 450ms as an activation threshold for noticing. Eye-tracking as a technique to measure attention in second language acquisition (SLA) was also discussed. Full article

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21 pages, 532 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Eye Tracking in the Wild: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

by Otto Lappi

J. Eye Mov. Res. 2015, 8(5), 1-21; https://doi.org/10.16910/jemr.8.5.1 - 29 Oct 2015

Cited by 49 | Viewed by 111

Abstract

Modelling human cognition and behaviour in rich naturalistic settings and under conditions of free movement of the head and body is a major goal of visual science. Eye tracking has turned out to be an excellent physiological means to investigate how we visually interact with complex 3D environments, real and virtual. This review begins with a philosophical look at the advantages (the Good) and the disadvantages (the Bad) in approaches with different levels of ecological naturalness (traditional tightly controlled laboratory tasks, low- and high-fidelity simulators, fully naturalistic real-world studies). We then discuss in more technical terms the differences in approach required “in the wild”, compared to “received” lab-based methods. We highlight how the unreflecting application of lab-based analysis methods, terminology, and tacit assumptions can lead to poor experimental design or even spurious results (the Ugly). The aim is not to present a “cookbook” of best practices, but to raise awareness of some of the special concerns that naturalistic research brings about. References to helpful literature are provided along the way. The aim is to provide an overview of the landscape from the point of view of a researcher planning serious basic research on the human mind and behaviour. Full article

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J. Eye Mov. Res., Volume 8, Issue 5 (December 2015) – 5 articles

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