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Updated: May 18, 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
The site of interference in the saccadic Stroop effect.
1Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, bus 3711, Leuven B-3000, Belgium. frouke.hermens@gmail.com
Vision Research
|October 3, 2012
Summary
Investigating the saccadic Stroop effect, this study found that while response times and errors were similar across cue types, only peripheral stimuli caused trajectory deviations. These findings challenge current oculomotor models.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Oculomotor Research
Background:
- The saccadic Stroop effect is a phenomenon where visual stimuli interfere with eye movement planning.
- Understanding the source of competition in this effect is crucial for refining models of saccade generation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the source of competition within the saccadic Stroop effect.
- To differentiate the influence of various cue types on saccade behavior.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted using colored letter strings and surrounding patches.
- Participants performed a saccade task towards a matching colored patch.
- Three cue types were compared: direction words (saccadic Stroop), arrow signs, and peripheral stimuli.
Main Results:
- Response times and saccade errors were similarly affected by all cue types.
- Saccade trajectory deviations were observed exclusively with peripheral onsets.
- Further experiments confirmed that processing time for direction words did not account for the absence of curvature effects.
Conclusions:
- The saccadic Stroop effect's competition source may not be purely oculomotor.
- Findings challenge existing models of saccade target selection.
- Distinguishing between stimulus types is vital for understanding saccadic interference.
