Use of minimal working memory in visual comparison: An eye-tracking study

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Visual comparison tasks are fundamental to cognitive processes.
• Understanding eye movement strategies is key to optimizing visual search and decision-making.
• Previous paradigms offer a basis for studying working memory in visual tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate eye movement strategies during visual comparison with minimal working memory.
• To compare strategies employed in free comparison versus single sequential comparison tasks.
• To identify efficient visual comparison techniques and their theoretical implications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a novel application of Pomplun's paradigm for visual comparison.
• Implemented two tasks: free comparison and single sequential comparison.
• Analyzed eye movement data to differentiate between task strategies.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in eye movement patterns were observed between the two tasks.
• Evidence suggests the utilization of minimal working memory in the free comparison task.
• An average of 2.87 items were processed per view sequence when more than three items were present.
• An alternating left-right reference strategy was identified, minimizing scan paths.

Conclusions:

• Eye movement strategies differ significantly based on working memory constraints in visual comparison.
• The alternating left-right reference strategy represents an efficient method for visual comparison with minimal working memory.
• Findings contribute to the understanding of typical visual comparison strategies and their theoretical significance.