Places of research: Eye-tracking system in psychology

In everyday actions, we often already – literally – look ahead to objects that are needed for the next step, for example. Junior Professor Dr. Christina Pfeuffer is making use of precisely such anticipatory eye movements when investigating the reaction of passengers to the driving style of autonomous vehicles. The psychologist is Junior Professor of Human-Technology Interaction at the KU. In Pfeuffer’s project, study participants complete several trips in a simulated driving situation. A special eye-tracking system records participants’ eye movements, and they also have to assess how safe they felt in each driving situation. Pfeuffer is breaking new ground with her fundamental research, as it has not yet been addressed how eye movements can be used to provide feedback to an autonomous vehicle and adapt the driving style to the perception of safety. Especially during the transitional phase leading towards autonomous mobility, she says, it is of great importance to ensure that persons who usually drive cars themselves still feel safe.