Introduction to Eye Tracking for the Social Sciences

This course was created for researchers from a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, education, behavioural economics, marketing, sociology, political science, clinical research, and related fields. Eye tracking helps us understand how people shift attention and acquire information in real time: what information attracts attention, what is missed, and what is difficult to process. It complements and goes beyond questionnaires and other self‑report measures, which can be limited by memory, social desirability, and people’s lack of insight into their own decision processes. With the development of webcam‑based tools, eye tracking is becoming more accessible to researchers across different disciplines, making it possible to collect data remotely on the web. Across four days, students gain a clear conceptual foundation and practical skills for designing studies, working with data, and communicating results, with examples that speak to diverse research interests and career paths.

The course was supported by the South East Doctoral Training Arc (SEDarc).

Day 1 – Why eye tracking, and for whom?

We start with motivating examples and research questions across the social sciences, so everyone can see how eye tracking might fit their own work. We then cover core eye‑movement theories and introduce different types of eye trackers, their trade‑offs, and how they are used across disciplines.

Day 2 – Designing an eye‑tracking study

We review common experimental paradigms across disciplines and walk through the practical steps of designing an eye‑tracking experiment that answers a real research question. We then install and test a webcam eye tracker (Labvanced) and discuss what makes remote eye tracking feasible and reliable.

Day 3 – You tested participants, what happens next?

We focus on what you do with the data: accessing it, organising it, creating variables, and extracting information about attention and information uptake. We also practice clear visual presentation of eye‑tracking data (e.g., heatmaps and scanpaths) to support interpretation and communication.

Day 4 – Analysis, interpretation, and reporting across disciplines

We explore analysis approaches used in different disciplines and discuss how to choose methods that match your question. The session ends with a practicum on analysing eye‑tracking data and reporting results in a way that is transparent, reproducible, and useful for both academic and non-academic audiences.