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Published on: August 29, 2018
Oculomotor capture during real-world scene viewing depends on cognitive load
Michi Matsukura1, James R Brockmole, Walter R Boot
1University of Iowa, Department of Psychology, 11 Seashore Hall E, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. michi-matsukura@uiowa.edu
Vision Research
|February 12, 2011
Summary
Oculomotor capture, where sudden scene changes draw the eyes, is less frequent when cognitive load is high. This suggests that visual capture during scene viewing relies on top-down attentional control, not just bottom-up stimuli.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual attention
Background:
- Gaze control in scene viewing has been debated, with traditional views emphasizing bottom-up mechanisms.
- Recent evidence highlights the significant role of top-down control in attentional prioritization.
- Oculomotor capture by visual transients is a potential exception, seemingly independent of observer goals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether oculomotor capture during scene viewing is influenced by cognitive resource availability.
- To determine if increasing cognitive load affects the frequency and speed of oculomotor capture.
- To test the hypothesis that oculomotor capture is modulated by top-down selection mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted to examine the effect of cognitive load on oculomotor capture.
- Experiment 1: Assessed oculomotor capture by a suddenly appearing object under varying cognitive loads.
- Experiment 2: Assessed oculomotor capture by an object's color change under varying cognitive loads.
Main Results:
- In both experiments, the degree of oculomotor capture significantly decreased as cognitive load increased.
- Reduced cognitive resources led to a diminished response to visual transients.
- This indicates that the eyes were less drawn to sudden changes when cognitive resources were limited.
Conclusions:
- Oculomotor capture during scene viewing is not solely stimulus-driven but is dependent on top-down attentional control.
- Cognitive resource availability modulates the susceptibility to oculomotor capture.
- These findings challenge the notion of oculomotor capture as a purely bottom-up phenomenon.
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