Relating cognitive-visual strategies and executive functions: examples with eye-tracking in inductive reasoning and reading tasks

Abstract

We use cognitive strategies when trying to find some kind of solution to a task. In cognitive tests, these strategies can often be measured according to the movements and behaviors that a person emits during the task. However, there are tasks in which the person does not do any behavior that can be directly observed by the researcher. Thus, eye movement recording devices are a great tool to be able to infer the strategy. In tasks that the participant does not exhibit behaviors until the response (e.g., matrix intelligence test), eye movements indicate where the person looked, and what was the sequence of eye movements. Based on these movements, it is possible to infer different strategies for different types of tasks. These cognitive-visual strategies seem to be directly linked to certain cognitive abilities, such as fluid reasoning and executive functions. Some studies demonstrate or hypothesize such relationship, but never in depth. Thus, a study is needed that seeks to relate these cognitive-visual strategies with constructs of fluid reasoning and executive functions. Therefore, the present investigation has as main objective to understand, identify and interpret how cognitive strategies in different tasks are related to cognitive processes. More specifically, it seeks to understand how cognitive strategies, analyzed through eye movement patterns, are related to executive functions. For this, three studies were carried out. Two of them investigate the strategies in matrix intelligence tests and how they relate to fluid reasoning (study 1) and executive functions (study 2). The third study seeks to understand the relationship between cognitive strategies in the Cloze Test of Reading Comprehension and the working memory (study 3). For each study, tests and scales of executive functions such as Corsi Blocks, Tower of London, Wisconsin Card Classification Test, Digits and BRIEF-A were applied in order to measure executive functions. (AU)