ABSTRACT Searching for information on the internet has become a daily activity. It is considered to be a complex cognitive activity that involves visual attention. Many studies have demonstrated that users’ information search are affected both by the spatial configuration of words and the elements displayed on the screen: elements that are used to structure web pages. One of these elements, the web panel, contains information. Web panel is a rectangular area with a colored background that was used to highlighting content presented in this specific rectangular area. Our general hypothesis was that the presence of a panel on a web page would affect the structure of a word display, as a result, information search accuracy. We carried out an experiment in which we manipulated the presence vs. the absence of a panel, as well as its orientation on the screen (vertical vs. horizontal). Twenty participants were asked to answer questions while their eye movements were recorded. Results showed that the presence of a panel resulted in reduced accuracy and shorter response times. Panel orientation affected scanpaths, especially when they were orientated vertically. We discuss these findings and suggest ways in which this research could be developed further in future.

中文翻译：

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面板在屏幕上的位置和方向作为结构视觉元素来突出显示的文本

摘要 在互联网上搜索信息已成为一项日常活动。它被认为是涉及视觉注意的复杂认知活​​动。许多研究表明，用户的信息搜索受到单词的空间配置和屏幕上显示的元素（用于构建网页的元素）的影响。这些元素之一，即 Web 面板，包含信息。Web 面板是一个带有彩色背景的矩形区域，用于突出显示在此特定矩形区域中的内容。我们的一般假设是网页上面板的存在会影响单词显示的结构，从而影响信息搜索的准确性。我们进行了一项实验，在其中我们操纵了面板的存在与不存在，以及它在屏幕上的方向（垂直与水平）。二十名参与者被要求回答问题，同时记录他们的眼球运动。结果表明，面板的存在导致准确性降低和响应时间缩短。面板方向会影响扫描路径，尤其是当它们垂直定向时。我们讨论了这些发现，并提出了未来可以进一步发展这项研究的方法。