Liu HZ, Zhou YB, Wei ZH, Jiang CM. The power of last fixation: Biasing simple choices by gaze-contingent manipulation.
Acta Psychol (Amst) 2020;
208:103106. [PMID:
32512321 DOI:
10.1016/j.actpsy.2020.103106]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2020] [Revised: 05/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Among the established findings in eye movement during decision-making, decision-makers are likely to choose the last fixated option, and this phenomenon has proven robust. However, the causal link between last fixation and choices requires further examination. In Study 1 (N = 40), a gaze-contingent manipulation paradigm was developed by controlling the timing of decision prompts to manipulate the last fixation. The results showed that participants' value-based choices were biased toward the last fixated option. However, the manipulation in Study 1 may disturb their decision process, leading to an unnatural decision environment. In Study 2 (N = 40), the gaze-contingent paradigm was further developed to manipulate the last fixation by directing an additional fixation on the target option after the participants' decision prompts. The results showed that participants' choices were also biased in the uninterrupted decisions. Our findings suggest a causal link between last fixation and value-based choices.
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