The Use of Eye Tracking in Assessing Visual Attention

Abstract

In aviation, procedural errors persist despite pilots having the correct knowledge and ability to perform particular flight tasks. These errors can be attributed to diagnostic errors, inaccurate situational assessment and poor hazard awareness. Eye tracking has emerged as a technology that can be used to monitor pilot performance and provide insights into attentional distribution and the underlying decisional processes. The study used a systematic literature review based on the Preferred Reporting Items for systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRIMA) Statement. Relevant publications were searched from 25 databases. To search the databases, the study used the keywords “eye tracking”, “eye tracking measurements”, “eye tracking aviation safety” and “eye tracking pilot flight performance”, as well as “eye tracking and pilot training” and “eye tracking and pilot assessment”. From these databases, 48 publications were retrieved for analysis. Out of the 48, 33 were abstracts and 15 were full-texts. The 15 full-texts proceeded to systematic literature analysis. These studies were further divided to studies reporting the use of eye tracking as a training tool (7) and studies reporting the use of eye tracking as an assessment tool (8). The literature review demonstrates that eye tracking is a valid and effective tool that can provide quantitative data for flight performance and safety assessment. Continued growth in aircraft cockpit automation means that eye tracking remains an urgent and promising development in aviation research, especially in real-time eye tracking to predict and prevent pilot errors and in the integration of eye tracking technology in intelligent cockpit design.