Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects
Published on: November 30, 2018
Using pointing and describing to achieve joint focus of attention in dialogue
1Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. adrian.bangerter@unine.ch
Abstract:
Pointing was shown to focus attention in dialogue. Pairs of people talked and gestured to identify targets from arrays visible to both of them. Arrays were located at five distances: arm length (0 cm), 25 cm, 50 cm, 75 cm, and 100 cm. Some pairs could point; others could not. People relied more on pointing and less on language as distance decreased. Pointing especially suppressed descriptions of target location, suggesting that it was used to focus attention on a spatial region.
Related Concept Videos
The Anchoring-and-Adjustment Heuristic
Framing Effects
Techniques of Therapeutic Communication II: Focusing, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
This therapeutic technique can also be used when a patient brings up pertinent information during a health-related conversation. The...
Methods of Documentation IV: Focus Charting
It typically involves three columns for recording information:
Focusing of Light in the Eye
Non-Verbal Cues

