Disposition spatiale et détection de mots

Abstract

While looking for a word among a list of words is a daily task and while many studies observed visual effects on visual search, there is no evidence of any spatial layout effects on word detection. Because eye movements might explain visual search performance (Sperandio & Bouju, 1983) and because eye movement might depend on spatial location (Colombi & Baccino, 2003), we reasoned that detection of a word across words might depend on words spatial organization. We run two experiments recording eye movement's participants on spatial layout of word lists, using gestalt principles of visual organization, such as similarity, continuity and proximity in order to predict visual search. We compared ocular scanpaths and performances using various spatial layouts of words list (lines, columns and both, experiment 1, and two different columns spatial layouts, experiment 2). Main results are that performance and ocular scanpaths differ according to spatial organization and Gestalt principles. Gestalt principles of similarity, continuity and proximity predicted how participants explored the list of words to detect the target. Moreover, performance was found to depend on exploration mode: on columns layouts word detection is faster with a column exploration mode than with a line exploration mode. Finally, we discuss how the whole study provides empirical basis for the design of web interfaces.