PhDr. Alena Klesalová

The article describes an innovative method of testing competencies using eye tracking technology in virtual reality. The proposed solution allows to examine and evaluate competencies, in a similar way as using other psychodiagnostic methods. The advantage of this solution, compared to others, is mainly the possibility to uncover internal states and motives, which are the basis of observable human behavior, by means of eye movements. In addition, virtual reality makes it possible to simulate various situations, visual and auditory perceptions, so that one can react to them immediately as if one were in a real environment. The practical use of the tool is mainly in the selection or adaptation of new employees or the evaluation of existing employees, or to predict their potential failure or burnout syndrome.

Decision-making processes and decisions are the subject of long-term investigations by research teams and research centers all over the world. For centuries, various theories have been constructed, which first of all started out from the premise that during decision making we consider all the pros and cons, therefore that we behave logically and that our decision making is governed purely by reason (Lehrer, 2009). However, with the advance of scientific research, it has been determined and demonstrated that in decision making a role is played not only by rational behavior, but that another and no less significant role is played by our emotions and feelings (Bechara, 2004). For each correct decision, it applies that both sides of our brain should be used, and that it depends on the given situation as to when which side should take the lead. In connection with the development of eye-tracking technologies, new possibilities are constantly opening up for their application in practice. This study sets as its target a contribution to decoding the processes that take place precisely at the moment of decision making itself, whether it is possible to predict the choice or decision in advance, and whether it is possible to assess a certain characteristic according to the identified behavior with the aid of eye-tracking.

Abstract: Success in solving problems depends on the strategy that we choose when looking for the right solution. In identifying strategies, we used records of eye movements during test problems, inspired by Raven’s Progressive Matrices. The participants in research had to choose the right solution from 6 alternatives as part of 10 different problems. The results of the research showed that a strategy in which the person tested spends more time looking at the task itself (rather than the alternative solutions) is a more successful strategy. We can therefore predict success of resolution based on the ratio of time that we devote to the task before us to our interest in possible solutions.