Visual Search Fixation Strategies in a 3D Image Set: An Eye-Tracking Study

Abstract In this study, we explore whether the inclusion of monocular depth within a pseudo-3D picture gallery negatively affects visual search strategy and performance. Experimental design facilitated control of (i) the number of visible depth planes and (ii) the presence of semantic sorting. Our results show that increasing the number of visual depth planes facilitates efficiency in search, which in turn results in a decreased response time to target selection and a reduction in participant average pupil dilation—used for measuring cognitive load. Furthermore, results identified that search strategy is based on sorting, which implies that an appropriate management of semantic associations can increase search efficiency by decreasing the number of potential targets.