Josh Groves, Utah Valley University
Business
This study will discuss the contributions of eye-tracking data in testing first-time viewers of identified professional salespeople. Participants will view the professional portraits of two individuals, a male and female. With the results we hope to show that eye-movement data supplements what users verbally report in their reactions to an individual. In particular, eye-tracking data will reveal which aspects of the person receive more visual attention and in what order they are viewed. As eye-tracking systems have become more sophisticated and affordable, there has been an increasing interest in the use of eye-tracking within the first impression domain (Byrne, Anderson, Douglass, and Matessa, 1999; Kotval and Goldberg, 1998; and Hornof and Halverson, 2003). Despite increased research in this area, it is still not entirely clear exactly how much eye-movement contributes to the viewer’s evaluation of another individual. As part of a comparative test between two professionals’ images, participant eye-movements will be recorded during the initial introduction to the image. The eye-tracking data will be examined to gain additional insight into how users view that individual and what elements attract their attention. Additionally, respondents will be asked to provide their perceptions of five personality dimensions of the two individuals.
METHOD:
Twenty-two undergraduate students (11 female, 11 male) at Utah Valley University will participate in this study. All of the participants will be between ages 18 and 26. A 24” monitor will be integrated with the Tobii X2-60 eye-tracker, which will be used to collect participant eye-gaze data. Participants will be seated approximately 24” away from the monitor. After calibration, participants will be presented with the portrait of one of the individuals and will be given 10 seconds to look over the image. They will then verbally report their impressions of the individual by means of the Big Five Inventory. Post-impression interviews will be held to measure all “Big Five” personality scales: extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience. Eye-gaze and eye-plotting software will be used to examine the users’ eye-movements by means of a post-hoc analysis of visual fixations within different areas of interest (AOI). Specifically, the images will be naturally divided into segments of human facial features. The addition of the eye-tracking data will allow sales professionals to better understand exactly what potential buyers are viewing in order to make sense of the seller and form an impression that has direct influence on further interaction.