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Updated: Jun 8, 2026
A Method to Quantify Visual Information Processing in Children Using Eye Tracking
Published on: July 9, 2016
Effect of stimulus type on the eye movements of children
Elizabeth L Irving1, Esther G González, Linda Lillakas
1School of Optometry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada. elirving@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca
Insights
Pictures improve eye movement responses in children more than dots. Using engaging stimuli is crucial for accurately assessing young children's ocular motor performance and comparing studies.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neuroscience
- Human Factors Engineering
Background:
- Ocular motor performance is critical for visual tasks.
- Previous research has primarily used simple stimuli like dots.
- The impact of stimulus complexity on eye movement dynamics is not fully understood, especially across different age groups.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if pictures elicit better response rates and eye movement dynamics than dots.
- To investigate if the preference for more engaging stimuli is age-dependent.
- To compare saccade and pursuit eye movements using different visual targets.
Main Methods:
- Video eye tracking was used to record horizontal eye movements in 61 participants for saccade tasks and 53 for pursuit tasks.
- Participants ranged in age from 3 to 30 years, with no known visual or neurological conditions.
- Stimuli included dots and small colored pictures presented in steps (5°–30°) for saccades and at various velocities (5°/s–30°/s) for pursuits.
Main Results:
- Picture targets led to age-dependent improvements in ocular motor responses compared to dots.
- Youngest children showed the most significant difference in performance based on target type, unlike adults.
- Saccadic response rates, peak velocities, accuracy, and pursuit gains were higher with pictures, while saccadic error rates and latencies were lower.
Conclusions:
- Stimulus characteristics significantly influence eye movement response rates and dynamics, particularly in young children.
- Using meaningful targets is essential to avoid underestimating eye movement performance in pediatric populations.
- Variations in stimulus types across studies necessitate careful consideration when comparing ocular motor performance data in children.
Purpose:
The authors investigated whether pictures elicit superior response rates and eye movement dynamics on saccade and pursuit tasks than do dots or spots of light and whether the need for more interesting stimuli is age dependent.
Methods:
Using video eye tracking, horizontal eye movements were investigated in children and adults using dots and small colored pictures as stimuli. Saccade data were obtained from 61 people and pursuit data from 53 people, ages 3 to 30 years, with no known ocular, ocular motor, neurologic, or systemic disease. Saccadic stimuli were randomly presented in steps ranging in size from 5° to 30°. Pursuits at four velocities (5°/s, 10°/s, 20°/s, and 30°/s) were tested using step ramp stimuli.
Results:
Picture targets result in age-dependent improvements in ocular motor responses compared with dots. With the exception of saccadic accuracy, the youngest children are most affected by the type of target. Adults are affected very little. For pictures, saccadic response rates (t((60)) = 4.30, P < 0.001), saccadic peak velocities (t((60)) = 2.24, P = 0.03), saccadic accuracy (t((59)) = 2.34, P = 0.02), and closed-loop pursuit gains (F((3,50)) = 2.86, P = 0.046) are higher. Saccadic error rates (t((60)) = 3.91, P < 0.001) and saccadic latencies (t((59)) = 9.5, P < 0.001) are lower with pictures.
Conclusions:
Stimulus characteristics can affect response rates and eye movement dynamics, particularly in young children. To avoid underestimation of eye movement performance in young children, it is important to use meaningful targets. Furthermore, when comparing the ocular motor performance of children across studies one must consider the type of stimuli used.
