<p>When reading you are performing a trained or learned skill, so if your instruction taught you to follow certain order that's what you do. There is a <strong>transfer</strong> of this behavior ( <em>or any other learnt one for that matter</em> ),into other types of images and situations,but the degree at which it is transferred depends on both context,cues, and expertise to name a few.</p>

<p>So in one way, yes if you are presented with mainly a text based image you are expected to follow your training to some degree.</p>

<p>This is but half the picture, the human visual system has evolved to notice and extract things ( <em>or features</em> ) in a picture or real life, things that move, things with edges, moving things, things that were once important, the whole thing and on an on.  </p>

<p>So in order to analyze an image, there seems to be a complex interplay of attention from both your innate visual skills as well as features from the image that due to their novelty or other feature demand your attention, and sometimes even before that, you are making a decision as to what the image is and how to analyze it.  </p>

<p><strong>So which direction then ?</strong></p>

<p>Your eyes analyze an image through voluntary and involuntary <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccade" rel="nofollow noreferrer">saccades</a>,(directional eye movements) which due to the above explanation can be directed everywhere depending on a number of things, an interesting feature could be the starting point, or also a random one, and from there on you will keep analyzing the scene based on where your attention is at, here are 2 images being analyzed:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/vnnna.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/vnnna.jpg" alt="scan paths"></a></p>

<p>The resulting lines represent patterns of fixation and are called <strong>Scan Paths</strong>.They differ from one observer to another and from one image to another, as well as depending on which task the observer is given and context.</p>

<p>I am not aware of the same type of studies made with text and mostly text based images and predominantly left right handed subjects, that would probably give us the definite answer, but it is not too far fetched to expect some jumping around the page with periods of directional fixation based on your preferred reading method.</p>

<p><strong>Sources/Notes</strong></p>

<ul>
<li><p>Patterns of Fixation were pioneered by the Russian psychologist Yarbus (1965) </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Vision Science (Palmer)</strong> <em>11.2 visual selection: eye movements and attention.</em> A whole chapter that goes into detail.</p></li>
<li><p>The nefertiti image is from Yarbus, A. L. (1967) Eye Movements and Vision. Basil Haigh (trans.). New York: Plenum Press. The face one ( not sure about the methodology ) from the wiki on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccade" rel="nofollow noreferrer">saccades</a>.</p></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-24T20:32:03.693Z
+1 and yes please add your sources. A simple link of the eye tracking pics would already be very cool.
AliceD
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-25T01:53:14.030Z
I have read just now a comment from @Kino, and I found it quite exaustive. So please consider null my previous reply to you, since answer is not necessary. Thanks anyway. Kind Regards.
Tonix Jesse
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-25T06:38:56.520Z
Faces are scanned in a way emphasizing their most salient features, notably eyes, mouth and nose. Perhaps you could include that in your answer?
AliceD
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-25T16:08:55.283Z
@AliceD:It is my understanding that task given ( don't look at the nose) and other salient features ( a mole ) and context also affects the way we scan faces.
Keno
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-25T16:12:33.263Z
Looks OK - I'll remove my comments. Well - perhaps after you mention the figure source ;-)
AliceD
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-25T19:03:20.487Z
@AliceD:  ┬──┬ ¯\_(ツ)
Keno
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-25T19:33:24.733Z
Haha thanks for all this. Unfortunately you already have my upvote :-)
AliceD
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-24T15:32:41.870Z
2017-04-25T17:34:37.617Z
2017-04-25T17:34:37.617Z
Keno
<p>Because in western culture, writing and reading is from left to right, while arabic writing/reading is the opposite, chinese is from bottom to top and left to right (correct?) I don’t know about others. Also being left or right handed may be considered, I am left handed and I know it. Is it there a relation?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-24T20:31:28.620Z
Could you limit yourself to a specific case? Are you referring to real-world images (sceneries like a house, landscapes *etc*.), faces, text, meaningless patterns or something else?
AliceD
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-25T02:16:18.987Z
hi AliceD, @Kino answerd too and I am satisfied, it is unecessary that you answer. Thanks anyway.
Tonix Jesse
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-25T06:40:38.030Z
I was not planning on answering. Specific questions are encouraged here and I'm just trying to get the question clear such that it can be helpful to others too.
AliceD
<cognitive-psychology><perception><behavior>
Do we all look at pictures from left to right?
Tonix Jesse
# Do we all look at pictures from left to right?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-04-23)

Because in western culture, writing and reading is from left to right, while arabic writing/reading is the opposite, chinese is from bottom to top and left to right (correct?) I don’t know about others. Also being left or right handed may be considered, I am left handed and I know it. Is it there a relation?

**Tags:** cognitive-psychology, perception, behavior

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Could you limit yourself to a specific case? Are you referring to real-world images (sceneries like a house, landscapes *etc*.), faces, text, meaningless patterns or something else?  
> **username_0**: hi username_1, @Kino answerd too and I am satisfied, it is unecessary that you answer. Thanks anyway.  
> **username_1**: I was not planning on answering. Specific questions are encouraged here and I'm just trying to get the question clear such that it can be helpful to others too.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-04-24. Score: 4

When reading you are performing a trained or learned skill, so if your instruction taught you to follow certain order that's what you do. There is a **transfer** of this behavior ( *or any other learnt one for that matter* ),into other types of images and situations,but the degree at which it is transferred depends on both context,cues, and expertise to name a few.

So in one way, yes if you are presented with mainly a text based image you are expected to follow your training to some degree.

This is but half the picture, the human visual system has evolved to notice and extract things ( *or features* ) in a picture or real life, things that move, things with edges, moving things, things that were once important, the whole thing and on an on.

So in order to analyze an image, there seems to be a complex interplay of attention from both your innate visual skills as well as features from the image that due to their novelty or other feature demand your attention, and sometimes even before that, you are making a decision as to what the image is and how to analyze it.

**So which direction then ?**

Your eyes analyze an image through voluntary and involuntary [saccades](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccade),(directional eye movements) which due to the above explanation can be directed everywhere depending on a number of things, an interesting feature could be the starting point, or also a random one, and from there on you will keep analyzing the scene based on where your attention is at, here are 2 images being analyzed:

[![scan paths](https://i.sstatic.net/vnnna.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/vnnna.jpg)

The resulting lines represent patterns of fixation and are called **Scan Paths**.They differ from one observer to another and from one image to another, as well as depending on which task the observer is given and context.

I am not aware of the same type of studies made with text and mostly text based images and predominantly left right handed subjects, that would probably give us the definite answer, but it is not too far fetched to expect some jumping around the page with periods of directional fixation based on your preferred reading method.

**Sources/Notes**

* Patterns of Fixation were pioneered by the Russian psychologist Yarbus (1965)
* **Vision Science (Palmer)** *11.2 visual selection: eye movements and attention.* A whole chapter that goes into detail.
* The nefertiti image is from Yarbus, A. L. (1967) Eye Movements and Vision. Basil Haigh (trans.). New York: Plenum Press. The face one ( not sure about the methodology ) from the wiki on [saccades](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccade).

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: +1 and yes please add your sources. A simple link of the eye tracking pics would already be very cool.  
> **username_0**: I have read just now a comment from @Kino, and I found it quite exaustive. So please consider null my previous reply to you, since answer is not necessary. Thanks anyway. Kind Regards.  
> **username_1**: Faces are scanned in a way emphasizing their most salient features, notably eyes, mouth and nose. Perhaps you could include that in your answer?  
> **username_2**: @username_1:It is my understanding that task given ( don't look at the nose) and other salient features ( a mole ) and context also affects the way we scan faces.  
> **username_1**: Looks OK - I'll remove my comments. Well - perhaps after you mention the figure source ;-)  
> **username_2**: @username_1:  ┬──┬ ¯\_(ツ)  
> **username_1**: Haha thanks for all this. Unfortunately you already have my upvote :-)  

---

