Figure recognition and visual attention patterns behind the observation of Palaeolithic art.

Abstract

Art visual processing is a complex cognitive process that involves perception, attention and decision-making. The initial stage of this process is characterized by visual exploration through rapid eye movements which can provide insights into attentional patterns and information processing and can be examined using eye-tracking technology. In this study, we employ eye-tracking to investigate visual perception during the observation of Palaeolithic rock art mostly from the Cantabrian seaboard, aiming to investigate the behavioural mechanisms underlying figure recognition and attentional distribution. This study comprises two experiments-one including entire panels and the other focusing exclusively on single figures-both yielding similar results. Our findings indicate that attention was predominantly directed towards the depicted figures, particularly their heads, rather than other elements within the visual field. Additionally, incomplete figures were perceived as complete, suggesting that figure recognition were influenced by Gestalt principles, internal cognitive models, and other top-down systems.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41809-025-00170-0.