News
Eyetracking Lab Ties Research to Industry and Government
At the Eyetracking Lab in the psychology department, researchers explore cognitive processes related to vision. The lab's research related to reading has been especially outstanding. Directed by Keith Rayner, the lab is a shared facility that pulls in projects from several industry and government partners and other departments on campus. In addition to serving faculty in the Cognitive Processes area of the Psychology Department, researchers from the departments of Linguistics and Industrial Engineering have utilized the lab’s facilities.
Research performed at the lab is applied to many projects seeking to understand how text and scenes are processed. By tracking eye movements using state-of-the-art equipment, researchers can identify and measure factors that make language easy or difficult to understand. For example, current research for Microsoft is exploring the effects of low-level aspects of text, such as font and spacing, on readers' understanding. The $600,000, 3-year grant has informed the company about crisper resolution of text on LCD screens for a product called ClearType. The lab worked on a similar project for Friendly Type. Another industry project investigated where people look on advertisements. The Eyetracking Lab has also collaborated with government agencies to explore issues affecting homeland security. Besides this industry support, the lab has been funded by the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation.
Several varieties of eyetrackers are in the lab: two Fourward Technologies DPI eyetrackers (one Generation V and one Generation VI), one 500 Hz SR Research Ltd. Eyelink II tracker, and one 1000 Hz SR Research Ltd. Eyelink 1000. All of them provide extremely precise images of the eye and tracking eye movements, allowing researchers to decipher exactly which letter the experiement subject is reading. In addition, Professor Charles Clifton has developed a sophisticated eyetracking software that translates eye movements into character positions in text. It is available for download on the Eyetracking Lab website. Faculty and post-doctoral fellows, as well as graduate and undergraduate students, are authorized to use the lab's equipment.
For more information about the Eyetracking Lab, contact Professor Keith Rayner. Search and learn more about campus research equipment, facilities and services at www.UMassREFS.info
—Jess Landis
March 15, 2007
