Visual exploration patterns of human figures in action: an eye tracker study with art paintings

Art exploration is a complex process conditioned by factors at different levels and\r\nincludes both basic visual principles and complex cognitive factors. The human figure is\r\nconsidered a critical factor attracting the attention in art painting. Using an eye-tracking\r\nmethodology, the goal of this study was to explore different elements of the human\r\nfigure performing an action (face and body parts in action) in complex social scenes\r\ncharacterized by different levels of social interaction between agents depicted in scenes\r\n(individual vs. social). The sample included 44 laypersons, and the stimuli consisted of\r\n10 fine art paintings representing the figurative style of classical art. The results revealed\r\ndifferent scanning patterns of the human figure elements related to the level of social\r\ninteraction of agents depicted in the scene. The agents’ face attracted eye movements\r\nin social interaction scenes while the agents’ body parts attracted eye movements only\r\nwhen the agents were involved in individual actions. These processes were confirmed\r\nspecifically in participants with high empathic abilities who became immediately fixated\r\non faces to develop a mimetic engagement with other agents. Future studies integrating\r\nother measures would help confirm the results obtained and strengthen their implication\r\nfor embodiment processes.