Eye-tracking Made Easy
(2015)Abstract
Most methodological courses in media psychology offer their students only limited opportunities to conduct experimental
studies using technology-intensive measures, such as eye-tracking or psychophysiology. This is mostly due to the high
costs for these types of equipment and the technical knowledge and skills needed to operate them and handle the data
that the devices produce. In order to lower the threshold for students in (media) psychology to work with eye-tracking, we
developed a prototype for a low-cost, easy-to-use, and modular laboratory. Within an ongoing project aiming at the
development and implementation of innovative teaching methods, we set up a laboratory that allows for a hands-on
approach to eye-tracking. To ensure both cost-efficiency and accessibility, the laboratory features a modular setup
including a laptop, a low-cost 60Hz eye-tracker (theeyetribe) and a headset as well as Open Source experiment builders
and analysis software (OpenSesame, Ogama, and PyGaze). We combine existing hard- and software solutions with
additional software implementations to reach both compatibility with other systems and devices and to provide a low
threshold for students to learn how to collect and analyze this data. Experiences in methodological courses show that
students actively engage with the lab technology without any concerns about the complexity of the devices and the data.
Using this type of laboratory, students in (media) psychology programs are able to easily reproduce seminal eye-tracking
studies and to conduct their own studies with very little need for continuous guidance and support by researchers or
technical staff. Many additional modules (e.g., psychophysiology, real-time response measures or response times) can be
added on a no- or low-cost basis. We will present our approach, the setup and components, the implementations as well
as the labs’ features and limitations.