Symposium in Innsbruck

“Eye tracking”: partner prediction with glasses

In the study on shopping behavior, a broad or narrow focus was used to manipulate the decision of what ends up in the trolley. Eye tracking is also used in other areas.(Bild: Alexandra Hoffmann)

An eye tracking symposium at the University of Innsbruck brought exciting findings to light. Studies have used the method to manipulate shopping behavior and predict the outcome of speed dating.

Have you ever observed where you look first in the "Krone" newspaper, on krone.at or on the supermarket shelves? So-called eye tracking deals with such questions. This scientific method tracks where people look with their eyes while they are looking at pictures, videos or their environment. Specifically, it examines which parts of an image or scene attract a person's attention and how long they remain there.

This narrow or broad focus in turn had an effect on the gaze and therefore the shopping behavior of the test subjects.

Mathias Streicher

Method provides insights into human perception
"This method is used to gain insights into human perception, attention and reaction to visual stimuli," explains Alexandra Hoffmann from the Institute of Psychology at the University of Innsbruck. The first symposium on eye tracking was recently held there. Experts from several specialist areas came together.

Shopping behavior of test subjectschanged
 Mathias Streicher spoke about the use of the method during shopping. During the study, the participants' focus of attention was manipulated in advance to either narrow or broad. "This narrow or broad focus in turn affected the gaze and therefore the shopping behavior of the test subjects," he explains.

The results of two studies by Hoffmann are also exciting.

Simultaneous eye contact was used to predict partner selection behavior in a speed dating study.

Alexandra Hoffmann

Speed dating study with exciting results
In these studies, eye tracking glasses were used to analyze the gaze and blink dynamics between two people and were used to predict behaviour. "On the one hand, simultaneous eye contact was used to predict partner selection behavior in a speed dating study, while on the other, synchronizing the blink frequency of two people working together virtually predicted their joint problem-solving skills," reveals expert Alexandra Hoffmann.