Insights into Public Visual Behaviors through Eye-Tracking Tests: A Study Based on National Park System Pilot Area Landscapes

Peng Wang, Wenjuan Yang, Dengju Wang and Youjun He
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Peng Wang: Research Institute of Forestry Policy and Information, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Wenjuan Yang: Research Institute of Forestry Policy and Information, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Dengju Wang: Research Institute of Forestry Policy and Information, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Youjun He: Research Institute of Forestry Policy and Information, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: National parks are important natural reserves of high ecological value, and the visual perception of national park landscapes is closely tied to the degree of protection that the natural resources within national parks receive. Visual cognition has a direct impact on public consciousness and plays an increasingly important role in national park management. Most techniques and methods previously used to study visual behaviors are subjective and qualitative; objective and quantitative studies are rare. Here, we used the eye-tracking method to study the visual behaviors of individuals viewing landscapes within the Qianjiangyuan National Park System Pilot Area to assess the visual and psychological mechanisms underlying public perception of different landscapes. The effect of landscape type on visual behaviors was greater than that of color diversity and degree of spatial confinement and was mainly related to the characteristics of landscape elements. The public preferred recreational and forest landscapes with high ornamental value, whereas rural and wetland landscapes tended to be neglected given that perception of these landscapes required additional information to facilitate interpretation. When landscape colors were uniform and landscape spaces were more confined, the fixation duration was longer, and instant attractiveness was stronger. The effects of subject background on behavioral preferences were examined. Females were more interested in the whole landscape, whereas males focused more on the parts of the landscapes with prominent humanistic architectural features, complex colors, and open space. Art students generally preferred landscapes with strong humanistic attributes, whereas students majoring in forestry preferred landscapes with strong natural attributes.

Keywords: national park; eye-tracking; landscape aesthetics; visual behaviors; landscape architecture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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