The interplay between task difficulty and microsaccade rate: Evidence for the critical role of visual load
PSPE
- Schneider, Andrea University of Bern, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EFPL), Switzerland
- Sonderegger, Andreas ORCID Bern University of Applied Sciences, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
- Krueger, Eva University of Fribourg, Switzerland
- Meteier, Quentin University of Fribourg, Switzerland
- Lüthold, Patrick University of Fribourg, Switzerland
- Chavaillaz, Alain ORCID University of Fribourg, Switzerland
- Published online 2021-04-28
Published in:
- Journal of Eye Movement Research. - 2020, vol. 13, no. 5, p. 1-12
Fixational eye movements
Microsaccades
Visual load
Mental load
Measurement
Eye behavior
Eye tracking
English
In previous research, microsaccades have been suggested as psychophysiological indicators of task load. So far, it is still under debate how different types of task demands are influencing microsaccade rate. This piece of research examines the relation between visual load, mental load and microsaccade rate. Fourteen participants carried out a continuous performance task (n-back), in which visual (letters vs. abstract figures) and mental task load (1-back to 4-back) were manipulated as within-subjects variables. Eye tracking data, performance data as well as subjective workload were recorded. Data analysis revealed an increased level of microsaccade rate for stimuli of high visual demand (i.e. abstract figures), while mental demand (n-back-level) did not modulate microsaccade rate. In conclusion, the present results suggest that microsaccade rate reflects visual load of a task rather than its mental load.
- Faculty
- Faculté des lettres et des sciences humaines
- Department
- Département de Psychologie
- Language
-
- English
- Classification
- Psychology
- Other electronic version
- License
- CC BY
- Identifiers
- Persistent URL
- https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/309686
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