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Updated: May 14, 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 influence of onsets and offsets on saccade programming
1Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, TW20 0EX, UK, Also at Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, University of Leuven, B-3000, Belgium;
I-Perception
|February 12, 2013
Summary
Peripheral visual onsets delay eye movements (saccades), but remote visual offsets do not affect saccade initiation. These findings clarify the role of visual stimuli in saccade target selection.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Saccadic eye movements are crucial for visual exploration.
- The 'gap effect' demonstrates how central stimulus onsets/offsets influence saccade latency.
- The impact of remote visual distractors, especially offsets, on saccade initiation remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of remote visual onsets and offsets on saccadic latency.
- To differentiate the influence of target identification versus saccade goal competition.
- To clarify the role of peripheral visual stimuli in eye movement control.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed a simplified eye movement task to a predictable peripheral target.
- Simultaneous remote visual onsets and offsets were presented centrally.
- Saccadic latency was measured under varying conditions of stimulus presentation.
Main Results:
- Peripheral visual onsets significantly increased saccadic latency.
- Remote visual offsets did not influence the initiation of saccades to the target.
- The number of onsets or offsets did not alter these effects.
Conclusions:
- Remote visual offsets do not interfere with saccade initiation to a predictable target.
- The influence of remote distractors in previous search tasks likely stems from target identification processes.
- Findings contribute to understanding saccade target selection mechanisms and visual attention.
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