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Eye Tracking in Training and Assessment Research - Q4 2025

In Q4 2025, eye-tracking technology played a pivotal role in advancing research in training and assessment. It enabled the evaluation of game-based learning's impact on safety training effectiveness and the exploration of biofeedback training methods to enhance esports performance. These studies underscored the value of eye-tracking in monitoring attentional distribution and gaze control, providing critical insights into the influence of training methods on performance.

Relationships between gaze behaviour and fencing performance of high-skilled fencing athletes: Perspectives from defensive and offensive phases

Andrada Vincze, Andra Felicia Gabriela Iacob, Ioana Radu, Dragoş Iliescu & Răzvan JurchişCortex

This study explores the relationship between visual processing and fencing performance, focusing on various gaze behaviour indices in a dynamic and interactive sport. Visual processing, particularly the ability to gather and use visual information quickly and accurately, is critical for performance in high-speed sports. We hypothesised that visual behaviour, including the duration of the final fixation (Quiet Eye; QE), the number of fixations and the number of scanned locations, significantly impacts fencing performance during offensive and defensive act...

From unrecognized to incapacitating: Neuro-ergonomic differentiation of spatial disorientation typologies induced by visual illusions for pilot cognitive training and cockpit design

YUAN Xin, K.H. NG Kam, LI Qinbiao, Cho Yin YIU, ZHOU Qinyu & BU YuanyuanChinese Journal of Aeronautics

Spatial Disorientation (SD) causes 15-22% of general aviation fatalities, rising to 72% with conflicting visual references. Current detection methods fail to distinguish the three SD types: Type 1 (unrecognized), Type 2 (recognized), and Type 3 (incapacitating), nor the effects of visual illusions. This study presents a neuro-ergonomic framework combining 32-channel Electroencephalogram (EEG) and eye-tracking to identify subtype-specific signatures during visual illusions. Sixteen cadet pilots completed simulated flights under adverse weather and inconsi...

Beyond Appearance: Agent anthropomorphism, alignment, and integration in video learning

Yi Zhang, Ke Xu, Jing He, Yana Xing, Jiumin Yang & Zhongling PiComputers & Education

Virtual pedagogical agents (VPAs) are increasingly used in video lectures to simulate instructor presence, yet systematic research on their design features – anthropomorphism, content alignment, and role integration – remains limited. This study addresses this gap through two experiments with 248 university students, examining these factors during a lecture on the human immune system. Measured outcomes included attention (eye tracking), cognitive load, emotions, performance, and behavioral sequences, all of which were chosen to capture cognitive, affecti...

How block-based programming supports novice learners’ coding comprehension: Evidence from eye-tracking lag-sequential analysis

Meng-Jung Tsai, Francis Pingfan Chien, Wan-Ting Sun & Nitesh Kumar JhaComputers & Education

Understanding how novice programmers interact with block-based and text-based programming languages can help optimize instructional approaches and facilitate the transition between the two. This study investigated the coding comprehension and visual behavior patterns of 70 novice college students as they engaged in Scratch (block-based) and Python (text-based) programming tasks. Tobii 4C eye-trackers, the Real Gaze software, and the WEDA platform were utilized to record eye movements, compute eye-tracking metrics, generate heat maps, and conduct lag sequ...

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Training Surgeons’ Visual Scanning Pattern in Laparoscopic Surgery to Enhance Patient Safety

Bin Zheng, Yixiong Zheng, Yao Zhang & Yuan Yuan YaoJournal of Surgical Education

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop a novel approach for teaching visual scanning in surgery by integrating eye-tracking technology into a laparoscopic simulation environment.DESIGN: A prospective controlled study was conducted in a surgical simulation setting.PARTICIPANTS: Fifteen novice participants with no prior laparoscopic experience were recruited.SETTING: Participants performed simulated laparoscopic cholecystectomy across six training sessions. The control group received conventional technical training, while the experimental group also viewed...

Spatiotemporal characteristics of eye-hand coordination among different skill levels in laparoscopic surgery

Farzad Aghazadeh, Bin Zheng, Mahdi Tavakoli & Hossein RouhaniSurgical Endoscopy

IntroductionEfficient eye-hand coordination is fundamental to surgical proficiency, particularly in minimally invasive surgeries. A comprehensive analysis of eye-hand coordination across varying surgical skill levels is essential for evaluating surgical task proficiency and establishing a basis for objective surgical skill assessment and training.MethodsEighteen participants, including five experts (attending general surgeons), five intermediates (surgical residents), and eight novices without prior surgical experience, were recruited in this study. Metr...

VReflect: Evaluating the Impact of Perspectives, Mirrors and Avatars in Virtual Reality Movement Training

Dennis Dietz, Fabian Berger, Changkun Ou, Francesco Chiossi, Giancarlo Graeber, Andreas Martin Butz & Matthias HoppeProceedings of the 2025 31st ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology

Virtual reality training systems require the careful design of content presentation, user embodiment, and overall user experience. We explore the impact of different perspectives (first-person and third-person) and virtual self-visualization techniques (VSVTs: mirrors and external avatars) on user embodiment, performance and experience. In a study with 28 participants learning karate movements, we tested four combinations of these factors. Results indicate that perspective influences visual focus and embodiment, while VSVTs affect movement execution, par...

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Influence of Surgical Expertise on Visual Gaze Patterns While Viewing a Robotic Adrenalectomy

Taylor Quinn, Joseph C. L’Huillier, John M. Woodward, Cara Jones, Steven D. Schwaitzberg & Lora CavuotoJournal of Surgical Education

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to quantify and further understand differences in visual perception between surgical expertise and specific procedural events while watching a robotic adrenalectomy.DESIGN: For this cross-sectional observational study, participants viewed a video of a robotic right adrenalectomy and were asked to identify the case afterward. Participants viewed the video under identical conditions without contextual information to minimize perceptual bias. Surgeons were categorized into early career and senior groups based on years of experien...

Detection of cognitive and attention dimensions in block programming interface for learning sensor data analytics in construction education

Mohammad Khalid, Abiola Akanmu, Ibukun Awolusi & Homero MurziInternational Journal of Human-Computer Studies

The increasing adoption of sensing technologies in the construction industry generates vast amounts of raw data, requiring analytics skills for effective extraction, analysis, and communication of actionable insights. To address this, ActionSens, a block-based programming interface, was developed to equip undergraduate construction engineering students with domain-specific sensor data analytics skills. However, efficient user interaction with such tools requires integrating intelligent systems capable of detecting users’ attention and cognitive states to...

Beyond traditional methods: The impact of game-based learning on safety training

Sameeran G. Kanade, Jun He, Sogand Hasanzadeh, Brandon J. Pitts, Behzad Esmaeili, Mahmudur Rahman, Dharmendra K. Mishra & Vincent G. DuffyInternational Journal of Industrial Ergonomics

This study evaluates the effectiveness of game-based learning in improving construction safety knowledge, focusing on the OSHA hazard identification training tool. Using a mixed-methods approach, 64 graduate students were divided into control and training groups, with half experiencing task interruptions during hazard identification tests. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention hazard identification tests, NASA-TLX questionnaires, and surveys while their visual attentional distribution was monitored using eye-tracking technology. Results showe...

Eye-Tracking Indicators of Novice Programmers’ Proficiency: A Machine Learning Approach

Zubair Ahsan & Unaizah ObaidellahACM Transactions on Computing Education

This study investigates the efficacy of machine learning algorithms in classifying different levels of programming expertise among 60 first-year undergraduate computer science students from Asian demographic backgrounds using eye-tracking data. Existing studies offer limited detail on the construction and selection of feature sets for machine learning modeling. The study identifies Total Fixation Duration (TFD) and Total Visit Duration (TVD) as robust indicators for machine learning models when distinguishing between high and low performers (two levels) ...

Biofeedback training can enhance esports players’ shooting performance in an aiming task: focusing on cortical activity and gaze movement

Inhyeok Jeong, Naotsugu Kaneko, Donghyun Kim, Ryogo Takahashi, Seitaro Iwama, Mayu Dohata, Junichi Ushiba & Kimitaka NakazawaInternational Journal of Automation Technology

High-skilled esports players have unique cortical activity and gaze control, both of which are closely linked to their performance. To enhance key aspects of eSports Performance & Movement Science—shot time and accuracy—the current study implemented two training methods: a cortical activity-based method (Experiment 1) and a gaze control-based method (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, a three-channel electroencephalogram headset was used to provide participants with real-time feedback on central lobe activity associated with sustained attention. Twenty-one ...

    Face to face with an expert: Exploring joint visual attention during forensic face and feature comparison learning in expert-novice pairs

    Christine C.A. van Nooijen, Bjorn B. de Koning, Ellen Kok, Anna Isahakyan, Maryam Asoodar & Fred Paas

    Visual expertise occurs in professional domains where comprehension of visual material is central to performance, such as in forensic analysis. Despite the prominence of apprenticeship in various visual domains, the didactic strategies employed by visual experts to scaffold novices during one-on-one interactions remain insufficiently explored. This multiple case study introduces a data-driven approach to capturing and coding expert-novice pairs’ interaction based on joint visual attention (JVA). Three registered forensic experts (>10 years’ experience) t...

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