AttentionTracking is an attention measurement procedure. In contrast to classical machine-based

eye tracking Eye tracking is the process of measuring either the point of gaze (where one is looking) or the motion of an eye relative to the head. An eye tracker is a device for measuring eye positions and eye movement. Eye trackers are used in research ...

, during AttentionTracking the attention is measured with a

computer mouse A computer mouse (plural mice; also mouses) is a hand-held pointing device that detects Plane (mathematics), two-dimensional motion relative to a surface. This motion is typically translated into the motion of the Cursor (user interface)#Po ...

or a comparable

pointing device A pointing device is a human interface device that allows a User (computing)#End-user, user to input Three-dimensional space, spatial (i.e., continuous and multi-dimensional) data to a computer. Graphical user interfaces (GUI) and Computer- ...

. The attention data occurs in the form of mouse clicks.

Development

The basic idea for AttentionTracking emerged during a research project at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

. During this project the correspondence of eye tracking and clicking data was found by accident. In general the procedure is based on the fact that

attention Attention or focus, is the concentration of awareness on some phenomenon to the exclusion of other stimuli. It is the selective concentration on discrete information, either subjectively or objectively. William James (1890) wrote that "Atte ...

does not only control the view but also other motoric systems. After a short introduction and training, respondents can follow their attention with the mouse. In comparative studies with classical machine-based procedures significant

correlations In statistics, correlation or dependence is any statistical relationship, whether causal or not, between two random variables or bivariate data. Although in the broadest sense, "correlation" may indicate any type of association, in statistics ...

(r>0.92) were found between the data gained with the machine-based procedure and the data gained with AttentionTracking.

Measurement process

The measurement starts with a small training during which the respondent is gradually introduced and accustomed to the desired click behavior. The training ensures that only respondents with sufficient mouse competence and speed take part in the test – simply put, hand and

eye movement Eye movement includes the voluntary or involuntary movement of the eyes. Eye movements are used by a number of organisms (e.g. primates, rodents, flies, birds, fish, cats, crabs, octopus) to fixate, inspect and track visual objects of inte ...

are synchronized. Directly after the training the actual measurement starts. The trained click behavior is then continued on the presented visual stimuli. In the same time

point-and-click Point and click are one of the actions of a computer user moving a pointer to a certain location on a screen (''pointing'') and then pressing a button on a mouse or other pointing device (''click''). An example of point and click is in hypermedi ...

is recorded. The click data are interpreted as points of attention (

Fixation (visual) Fixation or visual fixation is the maintaining of the gaze on a single location. An animal can exhibit visual fixation if it possess a fovea in the anatomy of their eye. The fovea is typically located at the center of the retina and is the poi ...

) and can be analyzed and visualized analogously to the classical eye tracking.

Fields of application

The AttentionTracking procedure can generally be used for all areas of application in which classical eye movement tracking can be used. The procedure is used in basic research as well as in applied research. Since 2003 the procedure is commercially used in

market research Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets and customers. It involves understanding who they are and what they need. It is an important component of business strategy and a major factor in maintaining com ...

especially

advertising research Advertising research is a systematic process of marketing research conducted to improve the efficiency of advertising. Advertising research is a detailed study conducted to know how customers respond to a particular ad or advertising campaign. Hi ...

and

marketing research Marketing research is the systematic gathering, recording, and analysis of qualitative data, qualitative and quantitative data, quantitative data about issues relating to marketing products and services. The goal is to identify and assess how chan ...

to analyze the effect of

advertising material Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of interest to consumers. It is typically us ...

. Through the online realization of the procedure the attention measurement can be included in target group-specific, supra-regional surveys.Scheier, Christian (2003b). Validating AttentionTracking, White Paper, MediaAnalyzer Software & Research Gmb

References

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External links

Article on AttentionTracking in advertising research
(650 kB)
Video: view measurement with AttentionTracking
Attention Market research Promotion and marketing communications

Development

Measurement process

Fields of application

See also

References

External links