ScreenMasker: An Open-source Gaze-contingent Screen Masking Environment.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Neuroscience

Background:

• The moving-window paradigm, a gaze-contingent technique, is crucial for studying visual perceptual span.
• Existing tools often require technical expertise, limiting accessibility for non-specialist researchers.
• There is a need for user-friendly environments to conduct gaze-contingency experiments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an accessible, easy-to-use tool for creating and controlling visual gaze-contingency studies.
• To provide a graphical user interface (GUI) that simplifies the setup and execution of eye-movement experiments.
• To enable non-technical researchers to conduct studies on the visual perceptual span.

Main Methods:

• Developed ScreenMasker, a novel software environment with a GUI for gaze-contingent studies.
• Integrated ScreenMasker with stimuli presentation software for seamless experimental control.
• Utilized GPU processing with CUDA technology for efficient rendering and low-latency performance.

Main Results:

• ScreenMasker offers an intuitive GUI for creating gaze-contingent textured displays.
• The system architecture supports low-latency requirements for real-time eye-movement experiments.
• Performance tests demonstrated latencies of 67-74 ms on standard computers and 25-28 ms on 144-Hz displays.

Conclusions:

• ScreenMasker provides an accessible and efficient solution for gaze-contingent research.
• The tool empowers non-technical researchers to investigate visual perception.
• ScreenMasker is an open-source system, promoting wider adoption and further development.