Full Reflection - Joye

During this visit, what I found most valuable was being able to see how the eye tracker functions in real life. It was fascinating to watch how the device was set up, calibrated, and used to monitor subtle eye movements in real time. Observing the entire procedure, from the preparation to the moment the system captured participants’ gaze. It gave me a much clearer understanding of how the device operates and how data is collected through its tracking software. Seeing this process firsthand helped me appreciate how precise and sensitive eye-tracking technology is, especially since even the smallest shift in gaze can be recorded and visualized.

A key insight I gained about eye tracking is how it enables researchers to assess a person’s attention span and identify exactly where their focus is directed on the screen. During the demonstration, it was interesting to notice how participants’ eyes occasionally drifted away from the target area, even when they were supposed to focus. This made me realize that eye tracking can reveal subtle attentional patterns that people themselves may not be aware of, shedding light on unconscious tendencies in visual attention.

Although I am still exploring my broader interests in psychology, this experience has contributed to my research journey by exposing me to methods commonly used in cognitive psychology. Learning about eye tracking has helped me understand how cognitive processes such as attention, perception, and bias can be studied in a measurable way. Moving forward, I would like to explore the concept of “pretty privilege” using eye-tracking methods. Specifically, I hope to integrate cognitive and social psychology perspectives by examining which faces individuals attend to more when presented with two different images.