Gaze shifts and pen velocity minima during line copying with consideration to signature simulation

Abstract

There are currently a limited amount of studies that have investigated the eye-hand behaviours that occur during copying. In the present study, we report an eye-hand behaviour during line copying that has previously been observed in drawing studies. Twenty subjects’ pen kinematic and eye movement behaviours were recorded during copying of a line image using a digitising tablet and eye tracker. A quantitative analysis of a subset of these subjects revealed that close to two-thirds of gaze shifts occurred within 33 msec, within or at points of velocity minima of the pen. The reported behaviour may help prioritize cognitive processes and potentially mediate the costs associated with making gaze shifts in this task. However, due to implications associated with the behaviour, it may not be as viable during signature simulations.