Comparison of Webcam and Remote Eye Tracking

We compare the measurement error and validity of webcam-based eye tracking to that of a remote eye tracker as well as software integration of both. We ran a study with n = 83 participants, consisting of a point detection task and an emotional visual search task under three between-subjects experimental conditions (webcam-based, remote, and integrated). We analyzed location-based (e.g., fixations) and process-based eye tracking metrics (ambient-focal attention dynamics). Despite higher measurement error of webcam eye tracking, our results in all three experimental conditions were in line with theoretical expectations. For example, time to first fixation toward happy faces was significantly shorter than toward sad faces (the happiness-superiority effect). As expected, we also observed the switch from ambient to focal attention depending on complexity of the visual stimuli. We conclude that webcam-based eye tracking is a viable, low-cost alternative to remote eye tracking.