Gazing into a discrete world Mixture models of cognition & behaviour

This thesis titled Gazing into a Discrete World presents perspectives on modeling human behavior, focusing on alternative sources of data such as eye-tracking and response times, with a special focus dedicated to substantive questions about qualitative patterns in individual differences and development. Further, it advocates for a closer alignment between design and analysis of experiments, and their theoretical underpinnings.
The thesis is structured into three distinct parts. The first part delves into identifying and analyzing discrete behavioral patterns, particularly through eye movement data, emphasising model-based approaches for understanding visual attention. The second part addresses challenges in empirical research, with a focus on developmental psychology, offering remedies for imperfections and methodological advancements. The third part focuses on making correct inferences under uncertainty, highlighting the significance of Bayesian methods and developing openly available software tools for applied researchers.
The thesis contributes with advancements in integration of eye-tracking into cognitive-behavioral modeling, improvements in developmental psychology research, and provides openly available Bayesian tools.