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Updated: May 31, 2026
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Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity
Published on: March 18, 2019
Time-course of feature-based top-down control in saccadic distractor effects
1Faculte de Psychologie et des Sciences de l'Education, Université de Genéve, Switzerland. sabine.born@unige.ch
Summary
The similarity effect in saccadic reaction time (SRT) grows over time for foveal distractors but not peripheral ones. This suggests top-down enhancement and location-based inhibition play key roles in visual attention.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Visual Attention Research
- Oculomotor Behavior
Background:
- Saccadic reaction time (SRT) is significantly impacted by distractor stimuli.
- A notable phenomenon is the 'similarity effect,' where distractors similar to the target cause greater slowing of SRT.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temporal dynamics of the similarity effect in saccadic reaction time.
- To understand how target contrast and distractor location influence the time course of visual distraction.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of saccadic reaction time (SRT) distributions under varying target contrast levels.
- Comparison of similarity effects for foveal versus peripheral distractors.
Main Results:
- The similarity effect increased with longer SRTs for foveal distractors, indicating growing top-down target enhancement.
- Similarity effects for peripheral distractors did not increase with SRT, suggesting effective location-based inhibition.
Conclusions:
- Top-down enhancement of target features intensifies over time, increasing susceptibility to similar distractors when they are foveal.
- Location-based inhibition effectively counters this enhancement for peripheral distractors, preventing a time-dependent increase in the similarity effect.
