While reading behaviors have been studied extensively in L1 reading studies through the use of eye-tracking and L2 reading has been measured through inherently indirect means, there is a relative lack of research done on early and late reading measures of ESL readers. Eye-tracking technology, available to researchers only in the past few decades, has opened the field to a new means of measuring these early and late measures of reading in second language learners. This study investigates the reading behaviors of 34 native Portuguese and Chinese readers who read in both their native languages (L1) and in their second language (L2), which is English. It was found that readers processed their reading differently in response to different text difficulties and varied between the different native languages.

The current research built on Yan, Miller, Li, and Shu’s (2008) eye-tracking study, which examined how second grade native Chinese speakers focused on Pinyin and Chinese characters while reading sentences. This research also used eye-tracking to examine how Chinese foreign Language learners (CFL) fixated on Pinyin and Chinese characters to determine if Pinyin facilitated or distracted from character learning. Two groups participated in this research: first semester university students enrolled in a beginning level Chinese class, and third, fourth, and fifth grade students enrolled in Chinese dual language immersion (DLI). All participants were asked to read eight sentences in Chinese with Pinyin placed above the characters. These sentences included familiar, unfamiliar, and new characters based on the students’ curricula. Results indicated that the DLI students spent significantly more time and fixations on Pinyin than characters, whereas the first semester university students spent more time and fixations on unfamiliar and new characters than Pinyin. The students also completed a questionnaire about Pinyin, which showed that the majority of elementary students liked having Pinyin above the characters and did not think that Pinyin was distracting. A much smaller percentage of first semester university students liked having Pinyin above the characters, but the majority realized that it was distracting. It seems that the first semester university students used Pinyin as a tool, but the DLI students used it as a crutch. Pedagogical suggestions are provided.

Children with lower language abilities, including children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) are at risk for persistent reading difficulties. Previous studies have demonstrated that children with lower language abilities display eye movements different from their typically developing peers while hearing nouns in a naturalistic storybook reading context. This study examined how language ability and various lexical characteristics interact with 4- and 5-year- olds' eye movements during a naturalistic storybook reading task. We used eye-tracking technology to measure eye movements of 49 preschoolers with variable language skill. The children looked at storybook pictures on an eye tracking computer while they listened to a narration of the story. Target areas of each illustration corresponded to verbs in the text (i.e., images of the subjects and objects referred to by the verb). Results revealed that all children, regardless of language ability, were more likely to be looking at the target images while a target verb was being spoken than when a different word was being spoken. This relationship grew stronger as language ability increased. Additionally, lexical variables (age of acquisition, number of syllables, concreteness, frequency, and occurrences in the story) also impacted the likelihood that children were looking at the target images. Because the interaction of each lexical variable, language ability, and time was different, clinical implications suggest that speech-language pathologists, early childhood educators, and parents should be aware of these interactions in selecting storybooks with specific word stimuli. Such careful consideration of word stimuli may help children identify what illustrations are important during shared storybook reading.

Trusting autonomous vehicles is seen as crucial for their dissemination. However, research on autonomous driving so far is restricted by using closed training courses or simulators and by comparing behaviour and evaluation while driving oneself (a manual car) with being driven (by an autonomous car). In the current study, we investigated passengers’ eye movements, categorized as safety-relevant or not safety-relevant, and trust ratings while being driven, once manually and once by an autonomous car, in real traffic as well as in a simulator. As some of the effects observed in the field experiment might have been caused by driving style, driving style was additionally varied in the simulator. Fixations in safety-relevant regions (e.g., on the road and steering wheel) were observed more frequently during safety critical driving situations than during regular driving. More safety-relevant fixations for the autonomous compared to the manual driving mode were observed particularly in the field. Trust ratings were affected by driving mode mainly in the simulator: Here, being driven autonomously led to a lower reported trust than believing to be driven by a human driver. Driving style showed to affect trust ratings, but not gaze behaviour in the simulator experiment. Correlations between gazing into safety relevant regions and trust ratings were of smaller descriptive size than in recent investigations on drivers, suggesting that gazing into safety-relevant regions as objective alternative to trust ratings may not be as exhaustive for passengers as for drivers.

The diploma thesis focuses on consumer behaviour on the website of providers operating leases. The aim of the thesis is to identify and describe the factors that affect consumers in this market. Based on findings of the whole research is formulated description of consumer behaviour in the operating lease market and recommendations for their providers. To realize this aim were used eye-tracking method (n=20), in-depth interviews (n=20) and questionnaire(n=118).

The Internet allows customers to share their experiences with, and opinions on, goods and services with other customers, that is, to engage in e-WOM communication. This paper consists of two major sections. The aim of the first one is to define the main e-WOM behaviour characteristics of Czech consumers and their motivations for transmission and exposure e-WOM behaviour. For this purpose, a questionnaire survey (n = 220) is conducted with a target group of people aged 16 to 54 years. The results indicate that the main reasons for exposure e-WOM behaviour are saving decision-making time, making better buying decisions, reducing cognitive dissonance and advice seeking when having product issues. In the case of transmission e-WOM behaviour, consumers are motivated by altruistic reasons, benefits of collective power and venting negative feelings. The second, experimental, section of this work examines the consumer's attention depending firstly on the e-WOM valence, the structural elements and the brand type, and secondly on the different characteristics of online reviews. In the first place, the results of the eye-tracking research (n = 24) illustrate a statistically significant impact of the interaction between the brand type and the e-WOM valence on consumer attention and in the second place it shows the dominance of the reviewer's name in attracting consumer attention. An in-depth interview is conducted in order to enlighten the results of eye-tracking research. Academic and managerial implications are discussed.

The present diploma thesis deals with impact of packaging and labelling on purchase decision of juices by generation Y. The aim of the thesis is to identify the influence of juice packaging and propose recommendations for producers of these beverages. Quantitative research in the form of a questionnaire survey (n = 384) is used to achieve this goal, as well as qualitative research (n = 38), combining eye-tracking technology with in-depth interview and blind test. The emphasis is mainly placed on identification of the main attributes and motives, affecting consumer buying behaviour of juices, together with revealing the influence of colours and graphic elements on consumer decision-making. The relevance of the material and shape of the packaging in relation to the consumers' purchase intention of the generation Y is also researched. In the light of the findings, recommendations for producers of fruit juice are suggested at the end of the thesis.

This diploma thesis deals with research of purchasing behaviour of generation Y on the market of South Moravian microbrewery. The goal of the thesis is to identify the importance of packaging and etiquette in purchasing decisions, consider the information area of packaging, determine the existence of sex differences and the brand loyalty. Based on the findings suggest recommendations for microbreweries. In achieving the goal in quantitative form a questionnaire (n=684) and a quantitative research which combined eye-tracking experiment with deep interviews (n=38) were used. The goal was not only to identify the elements that are important to the millennials, but also to define the reasons for their behaviour.

This study explores the effect of ornamentation on the emotional response and perception of motion graphics. A series of motion graphics were created, eye tracked, and tested for changes in emotional responses and perceptions based on the amount of ornamentation in the design. This study collected both quantitative and qualitative data to gain a better understanding of the viewer's overall emotional responses and perceptions of each video. Eye tracking data was studied to validate focal points and areas of interest. The quantitative data was analyzed by looking for correlations and trends. The qualitative data was analyzed for trends and reoccurring ideas. This study found that the amount of ornamentation in logo animations has a direct effect on the viewer's emotional responses and perceptions. More ornamentation led to overall positive changes in the emotional responses and perceptions of the brand or message, however there can be a turning point where the ornamentation can cause a negative response from the viewer. / Master of Fine Arts

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