Eye movements reveal mechanisms underlying attentional biases towards threat

Mechanisms underlying attentional biases towards threat (ABTs), such as attentional avoidance and difficulty of disengagement, are still unclear. To address this issue, we recorded participants' eye movements during a dot detection task in which threatening or neutral stimuli served as peripheral cues. We evaluated response times (RTs) in trials where participants looked at the central fixation cross (not at the cues), as they were required, and number and duration of (unwanted) fixations towards threatening or neutral cues; in all analyses trait anxiety was treated as a covariate. Difficulty in attentional disengagement (longer RTs) was found when peripheral threatening stimuli were presented for 100?ms. Moreover, we observed significantly shorter (unwanted) fixations on threatening than on neutral peripheral stimuli, compatible with an avoidance bias, for longer presentation times. These findings demonstrate that, independent of trait anxiety levels, disengagement bias occurs without eye movements, whereas eye movements are implied in threat avoidance.     

Nodule Detection with Eye Movements

Radiologists often miss nodules that may represent lung cancer on chest radiographs. We investigated whether eye movements collected during the search for lung nodules by large samples of laypeople may provide information that could assist radiologists in their detection. For that purpose, we developed a partially invisible Markov model with partially unobserved states and analyzed eye tracking data of over 100 laypeople who reviewed 14 chest X‐ray images, of which seven contained a potentially cancerous nodule. We used the luminance value of the pixels in the X‐ray images as prior information on the possible location of a nodule and identified six regions of interest on each image that may contain a nodule. Our study demonstrated that the eye movements recorded from laypersons contained information that may assist radiologists in the detection of nodules in chest X‐rays, which has important implications for crowdsourcing of search for pulmonary nodules, which are discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Eye‐tracking Social Preferences

We hypothesize that if people are motivated by a particular social preference, then choosing in accordance with this preference will lead to an identifiable pattern of eye movements. We track eye movements while subjects make choices in simple three‐person distribution experiments. We characterize each choice in terms of three different types of social preferences: efficiency, maxi‐min, and envy. For the characterization, we use either the choice data or the eye movement data. The evidence indicates that distributional choices are broadly consistent with the choice rule implied by eye movements. In other words, what subjects appear to be interested in when you look at their choices corresponds to what they appear to be interested in when you look at their eye movements. This correspondence lends credibility to the behavioral relevance of social preferences models. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

面孔吸引力观察者参照:“角度效应”的眼动研究

以标准的黑白面孔图片作为实验材料,让41名大学生观看不同倾斜角度(左倾、竖直和右倾)的面孔图片,并对之进行面孔吸引力的评价,同时用眼动仪记录被试的眼动数据。结果显示:(1)被试观看左倾和右倾面孔的平均瞳孔大小显著小于观看竖直面孔的平均瞳孔大小,观看左倾面孔的平均瞳孔大小显著大于右倾面孔;(2)被试对左倾和右倾面孔的平均注视时间显著短于对竖直面孔的平均注视时间,同时对左倾面孔的注视时间显著长于右倾面孔;(3)被试对左倾和右倾面孔的平均注视次数显著少于对竖直面孔的平均注视次数。实验结果表明,面孔的倾斜角度很可能是影响面孔吸引力的一个重要因素,在面孔吸引力的审美偏好中存在"角度效应",即竖直面孔的吸引力高于倾斜面孔的吸引力,左倾面孔的吸引力高于右倾面孔的吸引力。     

Oculomotor responses of stereo‐anomalous observers to pulse and ramp disparities

We examined oculomotor responses to binocular disparities of one stereo‐normal and three stereo‐anomalous observers, who were identified through a stereoscopic depth‐discrimination task, in two experimental conditions. In the pulse disparity condition, crossed and uncrossed disparities (1–6°) were briefly presented (for .25–2.0 s). In the ramp disparity condition, disparities were varied continuously with constant velocities (.7–2.0°/s) and with an amplitude of 10°. The stereo‐normal observer showed vergence responses to both pulse and ramp disparities. The three stereo‐anomalous observers showed a marked reduction or absence of vergence responses to pulse disparities but showed vergence responses to ramp disparities. The results suggest the existence of separate sub‐systems mediating disparity vergence eye movements.     

汉语成语谜语问题解决中思路竞争的眼动研究

在谜语问题解决过程中, 可能存在着通过简单联想和新异联想寻找答案这两种思路。两个实验中设置了包括寻常答案与新颖答案在内的若干备择答案(实验1为4个, 实验2为6个)供被试选择, 利用眼动技术记录被试在解题过程中的不同时间段内对新颖答案与寻常答案的平均注视时间, 考察汉语成语谜语问题解决中两种思路之间冲突的过程。实验1操纵了任务要求, 实验2操纵了规则线索的有效性。实验结果表明：(1)在成语谜语问题解决中的一段时间内新异联想和简单联想能够同时发生且形成竞争; (2)选择“新颖且合适答案”的任务要求, 提高了成功形成新颖语义联结的概率, 但是并没有加快新异联想发生、发展的进程, 也没有改变两种思路相互竞争的局面; (3)有效的规则线索可以抑制简单联想, 阻止其发生, 同时可以加快新异联想发生、发展的进程。     

男性化与女性化对面孔偏好的影响—— 基于图像处理技术和眼动的检验

采用图像处理技术和眼动探讨了性别二态线索对面孔偏好的影响。实验1发现非面孔线索未掩蔽和掩蔽时, 感知男性化技术与原始照片条件下女性化的男性面孔更有吸引力和信任度; 性别二态技术条件下, 非面孔线索未掩蔽时男性化的男性面孔更有吸引力和信任度。实验2表明被试对男性面孔的平均瞳孔大小和注视次数均大于和多于女性面孔, 首次注视时间短于女性面孔; 被试对男性化面孔的首次注视时间和首次注视持续时间均长于女性化面孔。     

合理性对汉语阅读中双字词语义预视效益的优势作用：眼动研究

语义预视效益(SPB)对于揭示阅读中读者能否从副中央凹提取高水平信息具有重要意义。关于SPB的产生机制仍然存在争议。本研究通过同时操控预视词的合理性和语义相关性考察了二者对汉语阅读中双字词SPB的影响。结果发现,合理性主效应显著,合理预视下目标词的注视时间显著短于不合理预视;语义相关性主效应不显著,未发现二者的交互作用。研究结果支持了语境匹配假说,进一步说明了汉语阅读中预视词的合理性对SPB的优势作用。     

Forward inference in risky choice: Mapping gaze and decision processes

The study of cognitive processes is built on a close mapping between three components: overt gaze behavior, overt choice, and covert processes. To validate this overt–covert mapping in the domain of decision‐making, we collected eye‐movement data during decisions between risky gamble problems. Applying a forward inference paradigm, participants were instructed to use specific decision strategies to solve those gamble problems (maximizing expected values or applying different choice heuristics) during which gaze behavior was recorded. We revealed differences between overt behavior, as indicated by eye movements, and covert decision processes, instructed by the experimenter. However, our results show that the overt–covert mapping is for some eye‐movement measures not as close as expected by current decision theory, and hence question reverse inference as being prone to fallacies due to a violation of its prerequisite, that is, a close overt–covert mapping. We propose a framework to rehabilitate reverse inference.     

Eyewitness testimony

The study of eyewitness testimony is thriving. Over the last three decades, psychologists have made important discoveries, and applied those discoveries to the legal system in myriad ways. Along the way, there were disagreements, which were typically healthy in nature. I discuss a few, for example, centering around the impact of misinformation on witnesses, the role of witness confidence and lineup procedures, and expert testimony. The “Memory Wars” were not so friendly, but hopefully the collective effort has helped to make the world a fairer place.