Impact of information accessibility and diagnosticity on eye movements of children searching for information

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the eye movement behavior of preadolescent children accessing and diagnosing information.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers tracked the eye movements of 30 children with an eye-tracking apparatus. Using the kit of factor-referenced cognitive tests to measure perceptual speed and associative memory, they measured information-searching behavior with screen recordings, the data of which were analyzed by IBM SPSS Statistics 26.

Findings

Regarding information accessibility, there was a correlation between the child’s age, associative memory and the number of round-trip choices, and there were differences in the total fixation area among children of different age groups. Regarding diagnosticity, perceptual speed was positively correlated with the total fixation area, and the number of round-trip choices was negatively correlated with fixation duration.

Originality/value

Empirical evidence suggests that during information encoding, perceptual speed is the most important influencing factor. Extensive research indicates that children predominantly rely on recall and familiarity when searching for new information, both of which play roles in associative memory. Through an examination of the psychological and behavioral indicators of children, the study elucidated the cognitive processes involved in information processing and how children engage with information at both visual and cognitive levels.

Citation

Sun, J.-R. and Wu, K.-C. (2024), "Impact of information accessibility and diagnosticity on eye movements of children searching for information", The Electronic Library, Vol. 42 No. 4, pp. 617-642. https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-10-2023-0255