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Sources of position-perception error for small isolated targets.

A H van der Heijden1, J N van der Geest, F de Leeuw

  • 1Department of Experimental and Theoretical Psychology, Leiden University, Faculty of Social Sciences, The Netherlands.

Psychological Research
|June 5, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Visual targets are perceived closer to the fixation point, even without reference stimuli. This central shift, an underestimation of target position by about 10%, is linked to saccadic eye movement systems.

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Area of Science:

  • Visual perception
  • Neuroscience
  • Psychophysics

Background:

  • Visual targets are often perceived closer to the fixation point when static reference stimuli are present.
  • Central near-location errors are observed in tasks like the partial-report bar-probe task.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the central shift phenomenon without static reference stimuli.
  • Explain the underlying mechanisms of these central shifts.
  • Precisely quantify the magnitude of central shifts in visual perception.

Main Methods:

  • Experiment 1: Position naming task to assess central shifts without reference stimuli.
  • Experiments 2-4: Cursor setting tasks to measure central shift size, analyzing target and cursor position factors.
  • Experiment 5: Investigated the role of the fixation point versus the point of fixation as a reference.

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Main Results:

  • A central shift in visual target perception was confirmed even without static reference stimuli.
  • Cursor setting tasks revealed distinct 'target position' and 'cursor position' factors influencing results.
  • The point of fixation, not the fixation point, partially serves as the reference.
  • Target positions are consistently underestimated by approximately 10%.

Conclusions:

  • The central shift phenomenon in visual perception occurs independently of static reference stimuli.
  • The saccadic eye movement system, responsible for foveal targeting, contributes to this ~10% undershoot in perceived visual space.
  • This suggests the saccadic system provides the metric for visual space within a single eye fixation.