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An anti-Hick's effect for exogenous, but not endogenous, saccadic eye movements
1Department of Psychology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. bonnie.lawrence@case.edu
Experimental Brain Research
|June 4, 2010
Summary
The anti-Hick's effect, where reaction times decrease with more choices, was observed in exogenous saccades but not endogenous ones. This finding differentiates saccade types and constrains the anti-Hick's effect.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Oculomotor Research
Background:
- Previous research demonstrated an "anti-Hick's" effect in exogenous saccadic eye movements, where reaction times decrease as response alternatives increase.
- This observed pattern contradicts Hick's Law, which predicts longer reaction times with more choices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the anti-Hick's effect is a general characteristic of all saccades or specific to exogenously generated ones.
- To explore the dissociation between exogenous and endogenous saccade generation mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Experimental manipulation of the number of response alternatives for saccadic eye movements.
- Comparison of reaction times for exogenously versus endogenously generated saccades.
Main Results:
- An anti-Hick's effect was consistently found for exogenous saccades.
- No anti-Hick's effect was observed for endogenous saccades.
Conclusions:
- The anti-Hick's effect is specific to exogenously generated saccades, not a general phenomenon.
- These findings highlight a clear dissociation between exogenous and endogenous saccade control mechanisms.
