Researchers use new eye-tracking technology to ask what drives human choice

New eye-tracking technology involves an infra-red beam positioned below a computer screen,

Colin Kerr

Published: Thursday, February 23, 2017

Engineers from Trinity College Dublin are using infra-red beams to track pupil movement in a bid to better understand what drives human choice when we are presented with a weight of information. The research team is currently assessing which bits of information attract the most attention when people study energy labels designed to promote sustainable choices, as well as pondering how people interact with questions and what they absorb when viewing road safety scenarios and information. The project was funded under the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2014-2020 Research Programme.

The research team is currently assessing which bits of information attract the most attention when people study energy labels designed to promote sustainable choices

This new eye-tracking technology involves an infra-red beam positioned below a computer screen, which, along with special software, is used to record how much time is spent viewing certain information on a screen, and confirm in what order the information is viewed. This results in graphical representations in the form of ‘heat maps’ and ‘scan paths’ respectively. https://www.tcd.ie/news_events/articles/researchers-use-new-eye-tracking-technology-to-ask-what-drives-human-choice/7617