Effects on Placement of Human Figures Within Naturalistic Scenes (Photographs) on Initial Visual Attention of Young Adults

Open Access
- Author:
- Kneisly, Alyssa
- Graduate Program:
- Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- April 01, 2011
- Committee Members:
- Krista M Wilkinson, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Krista M Wilkinson, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Janice Catherine Light, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Carol Anne Miller, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor - Keywords:
- saccade
photographs
slp
csd
aac
visual scene display
eye-tracking
iscan - Abstract:
- Purpose: There are many systems and devices available for use in augmentative and alternative communication, there are many systems and devices available for use in intervention. This research focused on the Visual Scene Display (VSD) in which language concepts are embedded within broader scenes depicted within photographs or other schematic images. Currently, naturalistic human figures are not frequently used in VSDs. This research examined how human figures attract visual attention during a short viewing period. Method: Twenty undergraduate and graduate students viewed one of three image sets (each set consisting of three images) over a short viewing period of five seconds per image. The participants were given minimal verbal instruction to provide a "free viewing" setting. Infrared eye-tracking technology was used to record the participants' viewing patterns. For each image, latency to first view and duration of view for each element were measured. Results: The human figures were strong attractors of visual attention even when they competed with other elements, larger elements, pseudo-human figures and implied motion for visual attention. Placement of the human figure had little effect on these initial viewing patterns. Conclusions: Human figures are strong attractors of visual attention regardless of size or placement within an image. These findings have implications for the programming of VSDs in terms of inclusion of human figures and the use of contextually rich images.