The Tobii Pro Spectrum: A useful tool for studying microsaccades?

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Microsaccades are small, rapid eye movements during fixation, crucial for visual processing.
• High-frequency eye trackers are needed for accurate microsaccade detection.
• The Tobii Pro Spectrum is a new eye tracker with high sampling rates, potentially suitable for microsaccade research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the suitability of the Tobii Pro Spectrum for microsaccade research.
• To compare the performance of the Tobii Pro Spectrum with the established EyeLink 1000 Plus system.

Main Methods:

• Data quality measures and microsaccade properties were computed for both eye trackers.
• Microsaccades were analyzed for precision, rate, direction, and shape.
• Data from the Tobii Pro Spectrum were collected at 600 Hz and 1200 Hz.

Main Results:

• The EyeLink 1000 Plus showed higher RMS precision and microsaccade rates than the Tobii Pro Spectrum.
• Both systems yielded microsaccades with similar directions and shapes.
• Microsaccade rates were consistent with previous literature for both systems.
• Tobii Pro Spectrum data at 1200 Hz more closely resembled EyeLink 1000 Plus data than data at 600 Hz.

Conclusions:

• The Tobii Pro Spectrum is a useful tool for researchers studying microsaccades.
• Higher sampling frequencies (1200 Hz) improve the Tobii Pro Spectrum's performance for microsaccade analysis.
• The system provides reliable data on microsaccade characteristics.