Visual attention to subtitles when viewing a cartoon by deaf and hearing children: an eye-tracking pilot study

Abstract

AbstractWatching a subtitled programme is a complex activity, as it entails paying attention to various stimuli simultaneously, some of which are visual (images and subtitles) and others auditory (oral language and background sounds). The aim of this study is to analyse the ocular movement of a group of children including both hearing and deaf children when watching a television cartoon using an eye tracker. The sample comprises 22 children (11 of whom are deaf and 11 of whom are hearing) aged between seven and 11. The results show that both hearing and deaf children spend more time looking at the images than at the subtitles, with the character's lips being the facial feature to which they pay most attention. Participant age and reading speed are variables that significantly affect the degree of attention paid to subtitles: the youngest children with the slowest reading speed lose their attention as the cartoon progresses. However, participants' auditory condition (deaf or hearing) does not show significant differences regarding maintaining attention on subtitles.Keywords: subtitlingreading speeddeaf viewerseye-trackingcartoontelevision Notes on contributorsCristina Cambra is a Lecturer in the Educational Department of Psychology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. She is a member of a research group on deafness and language acquisition problems (GISTAL). Her current research deals with the comprehension of subtitled television programmes by deaf people and she has published some articles in this area.Olivier Penacchio is a postdoctoral researcher in the Computer Vision Centre of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and in the school of Psychology and Neuroscience of St Andrews University. He is currently working on the perception and evolution of counter-shading camouflage. His background is in pure mathematics, algebraic geometry, and he is a recent convert to the arena of vision research. During the study, Olivier Penacchio has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the research projects TIN2010-21771-C02-01 and TIN2010-21771-C02-02.Núria Silvestre is a Professor in the Educational Department of Psychology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. She is the director of a research group on deafness and language acquisition problems (GISTAL).Aurora Leal is a Lecturer in the Educational Department of Psychology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. She is a member of a research group on deafness and language acquisition problems (GISTAL).