REVIEW article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Integrative Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1571534
Vision Toolkit Part 1. Neurophysiological Foundations and Experimental Paradigms in Eye-Tracking Research: A Review
Provisionally accepted
Quentin LABORDE1,2*
Axel Roques1,3
Matthieu Robert1,4Allan Armougum2Nicolas Vayatis1
Ioannis Bargiotas5
Laurent Oudre1
Pierre-Paul Vidal1,6- 1Universite Paris Saclay, Universite Paris Cite, ENS Paris Saclay, CNRS, SSA, INSERM, Centre Borelli, F-91190, Gif-sur-yvette, France
- 2SNCF, Technologies Department, Innovation & Research, F-93210, Saint Denis, France
- 3Thales AVS France, Training & Simulation, F-95520, Osny, France
- 4Ophthalmology Department, Hopital Universitaire Necker-Enfants malades, AP-HP, F-75015, Paris, France
- 5Universite Paris-Saclay, Inria, CIAMS, F-91190, Gif-sur-yvette, France
- 6Institute of Information and Control, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Zhejiang, China
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Eye-tracking research offers valuable insights into human gaze behavior by examining the neurophysiological mechanisms that govern eye movements and their dynamic interactions with external stimuli. This review explores the foundational principles of oculomotor control, emphasizing the neural subsystems responsible for gaze stabilization and orientation. Although controlled laboratory studies have significantly advanced our understanding of these mechanisms, their ecological validity remains a critical limitation. However, the emergence of mobile eye tracking technologies has enabled research in naturalistic environments, uncovering the intricate interplay between gaze behavior and inputs from the head, trunk, and sensory systems. Furthermore, rapid technological advancements have broadened the application of eye-tracking across neuroscience, psychology, and related disciplines, resulting in methodological fragmentation that complicates the integration of findings across fields. In response to these challenges, this review underscores the distinctions between head-restrained and naturalistic conditions, emphasizing the importance of bridging neurophysiological insights with experimental paradigms. By addressing these complexities, this work seeks to elucidate the diverse methodologies employed for recording eye movements, providing critical guidance to mitigate potential pitfalls in the selection and design of experimental paradigms.
Keywords: Eye-tracking, Experimental settings, review article, human gaze behavior, oculomotor control
Received: 05 Feb 2025; Accepted: 02 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 LABORDE, Roques, Robert, Armougum, Vayatis, Bargiotas, Oudre and Vidal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Quentin LABORDE, Universite Paris Saclay, Universite Paris Cite, ENS Paris Saclay, CNRS, SSA, INSERM, Centre Borelli, F-91190, Gif-sur-yvette, France
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