It is intuitively appealing to try to combine eye-tracking data and
verbal reports when investigating medical image interpretation. However,
before collecting such data, important decisions have to be made
including exactly when and how to collect the verbal reports. The
purpose of this methodological article is to reflect upon the pros and
cons of different solutions and to offer some guidelines to
investigators. We start by exploring the ontology of vision and speech
production and the epistemology of eye movements to grasp what fixations
and verbal reports actually reflect. We are also interested in the
major constraints of the two systems. Second, we elaborate on two
dominant investigational approaches to verbal accounts, namely
concurrent think-aloud and Chi’s explanations, and move on to other
approaches. Third, we present and critically evaluate studies from the
literature on medical image interpretation that have sought to contrast
or integrate eye movement data and verbal reports. Fourth, we conclude
with some practical guidelines and suggestions for further research