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In This Article

  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Protocol
  • Representative Results
  • Discussion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Materials
  • References
  • Reprints and Permissions

Summary

Using multimodal sensors is a promising way to understand the role of social interactions in educational settings. This paper describes a methodology for capturing joint visual attention from colocated dyads using mobile eye-trackers.

Abstract

With the advent of new technological advances, it is possible to study social interactions at a microlevel with unprecedented accuracy. High frequency sensors, such as eye-trackers, electrodermal activity wristbands, EEG bands, and motion sensors provide observations at the millisecond level. This level of precision allows researchers to collect large datasets on social interactions. In this paper, I discuss how multiple eye-trackers can capture a fundamental construct in social interactions, joint visual attention (JVA). JVA has been studied by developmental psychologists to understand how children acquire language, learning scientists to understand how small groups of learners work together, and social scientists to understand interactions in small teams. This paper describes a methodology for capturing JVA in colocated settings using mobile eye-trackers. It presents some empirical results and discusses implications of capturing microobservations to understand social interactions.

Introduction

JVA has been extensively studied over the last century, especially by developmental psychologists studying language acquisition. It was quickly established that joint attention is more than just a way to learn words but rather a precursor to children's theories of mind1. Thus, it plays a significant role in many social processes, such as communicating with others, collaborating, and developing empathy. Autistic children, for instance, lack the ability to coordinate their visual attention with their caregivers, which is associated with significant social impairments2. Humans need joint attention to become functional m....

Protocol

1. Participant Screening

  1. Ensure that participants with normal or corrected-to-normal vision are recruited. Because participants will be asked to wear a mobile eye-tracker, they can wear contact lenses but not regular eyeglasses.

2. Preparation for the Experiment

  1. Eye-tracking devices
    1. Use any mobile eye-tracker capable of capturing eye movement in real world environments.
      NOTE: The mobile eye-trackers used here were two Tobii Pro Glasses 2 (see .......

Representative Results

The methodology presented above was used to study students who were following a vocational training program in logistics (n = 54)12. In this experiment, pairs of students interacted with a Tangible User Interface (TUI) that simulated a small-scale warehouse. The fiducial markers placed on the TUI allowed the research team to remap students' gazes onto a common plane and compute levels of JVA. Findings indicated that groups who had higher levels of JVA tended to do better at the task given to t.......

Discussion

The methodology described in this paper provides a rigorous way to capture JVA in colocated dyads. With the emergence of affordable sensing technology and improved computer vision algorithms, it is now possible to study collaborative interactions with an accuracy that was previously unavailable. This methodology leverages fiducial markers disseminated in the environment and uses homographies as a way to remap participants' gazes onto a common plane. This allows researchers to rigorously study JVA in colocated groups........

Acknowledgements

The development of this methodology was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF #0835854), the Leading House Technologies for Vocation Education, funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, and the Harvard School of Education's Dean Venture Fund.

....

Materials

NameCompanyCatalog NumberComments
Tobii Glasses 2TobiiN/Ahttps://www.tobiipro.com/product-listing/tobii-pro-glasses-2/
Fiducial markersChili lab – EPFL, SwitzerlandN/Ahttps://github.com/chili-epfl/chilitags

References

  1. Tomasello, M., Moore, C., Dunham, P. J. Joint attention as social cognition. Joint attention: Its origins and role in development. , 103-130 (1995).
  2. Mundy, P., Sigman, M., Kasari, C. A longitudinal study of joint attention and language de....

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Mobile Eye trackersJoint Visual AttentionCo located SettingsTobii Pro Glasses TwoEye Movement TrackingReal world EnvironmentsCalibrationData Collection

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