A Study on the Recognition of AAC Emotion Symbols in School-Aged Children Using Eye Tracking Technology

Background and Purpose: This study aimed to investigate whether school-age children differ in emotional symbol recognition accuracy and visual attention patterns based on gender, emotion, and symbol sets. Methods: The participants included 27 boys and girls in the upper grades of elementary school. After wearing an eye tracker, data were collected while they completed a questionnaire about 12 symbols (3 symbol sets × 4 emotions) presented on a monitor. Results: The children exhibited statistically significant differences in their accuracy of responding to the four emotions, with the ‘happy’ emotion being recognized significantly less accurately. There were no differences based on gender or symbol sets. When fixation durations were analyzed by Areas of Interest (AOI) to examine visual attention patterns, differences in fixation durations were noted in the eye and mouth areas depending on the emotion. Additionally, children fixated on various secondary features (e.g., tears, steam) that help convey emotion. Conclusion: This study confirmed the differences in accuracy by emotion in elementary school children’s recognition of basic emotional symbols. It also highlighted the importance of secondary features added to symbols, which enhance emotional expression and increase the iconicity of emotional symbols.