Look at my poster! Active gaze, preference and memory during a poster session.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Information Design
• Scientific Communication

Background:

• Poster sessions are a common method for scientific dissemination.
• Understanding visual attention patterns during these sessions is crucial for effective communication.
• Limited research exists on how attendees interact with scientific posters visually.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate visual attention patterns during a simulated scientific poster session.
• To identify which poster elements capture and hold attendee attention.
• To explore the relationship between visual attention, poster characteristics, and recall/liking.

Main Methods:

• Utilized mobile eye-tracking technology to record participants' gaze behavior.
• Conducted a mock poster session with a variety of academic psychology posters.
• Analyzed gaze duration on different poster sections and correlated it with poster size, perceived interest, aesthetics, and memory recall.

Main Results:

• Participants dedicated the most viewing time to poster introductions and conclusions.
• Larger posters and those rated as more interesting received longer viewing durations.
• Poster aesthetics did not significantly influence viewing time.
• Eye-tracking data (gaze) showed no correlation with memory for poster details or overall liking of the poster.

Conclusions:

• Introductions and conclusions are key areas for maximizing engagement during poster presentations.
• Poster size and perceived interestingness are factors influencing visual attention.
• Attracting attention to a poster does not guarantee comprehension or positive reception of its content.