An Eye Movement Classification Method Based on Cascade Forest

Eye tracking technology has become increasingly important in scientific research and practical applications. In the field of eye tracking research, analysis of eye movement data is crucial, particularly for classifying raw eye movement data into eye movement events. Current classification methods exhibit considerable variation in adaptability across different participants, and it is necessary to address the issues of class imbalance and data scarcity in eye movement classification. In the current study, we introduce a novel eye movement classification method based on cascade forest (EMCCF), which comprises two modules: 1) a feature extraction module that employs a multi-scale time window method to extract features from raw eye movement data; 2) a classification module that innovatively employs a layered ensemble architecture, integrating the cascade forest structure with ensemble learning principles, specifically for eye movement classification. Consequently, EMCCF not only enhanced the accuracy and efficiency of eye movement classification but also represents an advancement in applying ensemble learning techniques within this domain. Furthermore, experimental results indicated that EMCCF outperformed existing deep learning-based classification models in several metrics and demonstrated robust performance across different datasets and participants.