Eye Movements and Attention Shifts
Richard D. Wright, Lawrence M. Ward · 2008
Abstract Eye movements and attention shifts usually occur together. Some of the first studies of eye movements and visual perception were based on the assumption that, at any given time, the center of fixation of the eyes is the center of attention (e.g., Buswell, 1935). By extension, tracking someone’s eye movements was thought to reveal that person’s “path of attention.” Helmholz’s demonstration, however, indicated that ocular fixation and attention can be oriented independently (described in chapter 1; see Figure 1.3). For this reason, although most contemporary eye tracking researchers tacitly assume that attention is linked to foveal gaze, they also acknowledge that this may not always be so (Duchowski, 2003, p. 14).