Abstract: Theory-based view makes a point of knowledge in category learning and is different with similarity-based view which emphasizes the prototype or exemplar models. There are two main differences between them: the relationship of concepts and the relationship of characters within a concept. Both of them can be explained by the theory-based view, but can not by the similarity-based view. So this study basing on theory-based view and investigated the eye movement differences in category processing between high and low creativity students. Pictures showing reality things or scenes were used in the Target-matching model in the experiment. Forty middle school participants were divide into two group: high or low creativity group. They were asked to choose two pictures that can be classified to the target conception category in the question area from the answer area. The researchers separated two processing period: the first process period and the second process period, and Eye-tracking method was used to record the subjects’ eye fixation data (fixation duration, fixation number, pupil diameter, etc) in the whole experiment. The researchers compared the high creativity group and the low creativity group students with their eye fixation data and found that, in the first process period, the high creativity students processed more on the target conceptions than the classified conceptions, and fixed more on the correct answers than the false ones. There was opposite and non-significant difference between the two kinds of the conceptions in the low creativity group. In the second process period there was more process on the classified conceptions than the target conceptions in both group. The low creativity students processed more on the correct answers than the false ones, the difference was not significant in the high creativity group. In the whole process period, both high and low creativity students processed more on the classified conceptions, but the difference was more significant in the low creativity group. Both high and low creativity students processed more on the correct answers, but the difference was more significant in the high creativity group. Using eye-tracking method, the researchers make a point of processing duration, finding that though had the same choice, the high and low creativity students had different process. It is obviously that the study of classification should pay attention not only to the result but also to the information processing, and the eye tracking method play an important role in it.

Key words: creativity, category processing, target conception, classified conception eye movement