Post-saccadic Eye Movement Indices Under Cognitive Load: A Path Analysis to Determine Visual Performance.
Marzieh Salehi Fadardi1, Javad Salehi Fadardi2,3,4, Monireh Mahjoob5
1Department of Optometry & Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Journal of Ophthalmic & Vision Research
|September 26, 2022
Summary
Cognitive load increases saccade and fixation latency, leading to slower and less accurate task performance. Fixation duration is key for predicting performance efficiency under cognitive demand.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Human-computer interaction
- Neuroscience
Background:
- The relationship between cognitive load, eye movements (saccades and fixations), and task performance remains unclear.
- Understanding these links is crucial for optimizing human performance in demanding tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the pathway models linking cognitive load to degraded task performance.
- To examine how changes in saccadic and post-saccadic fixation under cognitive load affect performance.
Main Methods:
- Participants (n=38) performed a discrimination task while cognitive load was manipulated using arithmetic operations.
- Eye movements were recorded, and cognitive load was validated using heart rate variability and subjective measures.
Main Results:
- Cognitive load significantly increased saccade and fixation latencies (P < 0.001).
- Increased cognitive load resulted in more response errors and fewer secondary saccades.
- Saccade latency indirectly impacted performance via fixation latency, leading to longer reaction times and errors due to limited target fixation.
Conclusions:
- Fixation latency and duration are critical indicators of information processing efficiency.
- These eye movement metrics can predict task performance speed and accuracy under cognitive load.
