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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.09.22.753562

Looking Across Tasks: Domain-General and Task-Specific Gaze Behaviours in Spatial Cognition

Wu, Z.·Aguilar Ramirez, D. E.·Gonzalez, C. L. R.
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Abstract

Eye movements have been shown to reveal the cognitive processes underlying spatial ability, but most studies investigating gaze behaviour in spatial cognition use a single, screen-based task. Therefore, it is unknown whether these gaze behaviours are preserved across naturalistic task environments, or whether their relationship with spatial performance is domain-general or task-specific. The present study tested whether established gaze behaviours are preserved and generalizable across diverse, naturalistic spatial tasks. N = 30 young adults completed three naturalistic spatial tasks varying in perceptual, cognitive, and visuomotor demands: Q-bitz, the Brick Building Task (BBT), and the Mental Rotation Test (MRT). Gaze was measured using the Pupil Labs Neon eye tracker. Within-task analyses were conducted to assess whether gaze behaviours were preserved, and cross-task analyses were conducted to assess the generalizability of preserved gaze behaviours. Within-task analyses identified source inspection and transition rate as gaze behaviours that were consistently sensitive to changing task demands. Cross-task analyses showed that source fixation duration was a domain-general predictor of performance, whereas the relationship between transition rate and performance differed by task. Exploratory sex-separated analyses also suggested a more consistent gaze-performance relationship in males. These findings show that source fixation duration may represent a common cognitive process underlying performance across naturalistic spatial tasks.

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Wu, Z., Aguilar Ramirez, D. E., Gonzalez, C. L. R.. 2026-09-28. Looking Across Tasks: Domain-General and Task-Specific Gaze Behaviours in Spatial Cognition. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.22.753562

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