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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 19, 2026

Gaze in Action: Head-mounted Eye Tracking of Children's Dynamic Visual Attention During Naturalistic Behavior

Gaze in Action: Head-mounted Eye Tracking of Children's Dynamic Visual Attention During Naturalistic Behavior

Published on: November 14, 2018

Reference frames for coding touch location depend on the task.

Lisa M Pritchett¹, Michael J Carnevale, Laurence R Harris

¹Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada. lmpritch@yorku.ca

Experimental Brain Research

|September 4, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Perceptual space coding shifts based on head position. Tactile localization errors depend on whether the head moves between touch and response, indicating a shift between gaze-centered and body-centered reference frames.

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Last Updated: May 19, 2026

Gaze in Action: Head-mounted Eye Tracking of Children's Dynamic Visual Attention During Naturalistic Behavior

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Published on: November 14, 2018

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Perception
Human Factors

Background:

Perceived target locations are influenced by gaze (eye and head) position relative to the body.
This suggests perceptual space is coded in a gaze-centered reference frame, but reported effects are inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate discrepancies in tactile localization shifts related to head position.
Determine the cause of inconsistent directional effects in touch localization.

Main Methods:

Participants' head position was manipulated during tactile stimulus presentation and response.
Tactile localization accuracy was assessed under different head movement conditions between stimulus and response.

Main Results:

Head eccentricity caused tactile localization errors in either the same or opposite direction of head turn.
A shift opposite to head turn occurred when head remained eccentric during touch and response.
A shift in the same direction as head eccentricity occurred when the head returned to center before responding.

Conclusions:

Tactile perception uses a gaze-centered frame when the head moves between touch and response.
A body-centered frame is used when the head remains stationary.
An underestimated gaze signal may explain these localization errors, with a proposed model accounting for directional shifts.