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Updated: May 11, 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
Attention modulates saccadic inhibition magnitude
Antimo Buonocore1, Robert D McIntosh
1Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University ofTrento, Corso Bettini 31, Rovereto (TN), Italy. antimo.buonocore@unitn.it
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)
|May 18, 2013
Summary
Attention modulates saccadic inhibition, the suppression of eye movements. Studies show attentional focus can reduce this inhibition, influencing saccade target selection models.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Visual transient events can inhibit saccades within a specific time window (60-120 ms post-event).
- The influence of attention on this saccadic inhibition phenomenon is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how attentional manipulations affect saccadic inhibition.
- To explore the role of endogenous and exogenous attention in modulating saccadic inhibition.
Main Methods:
- Participants prepared to make a saccade to a lateralized target.
- A bright flash (distractor) was presented above or below fixation.
- Two attentional conditions were tested: exogenous precueing and manipulated distractor likelihood.
Main Results:
- Exogenous precueing of a distractor location reduced saccadic inhibition, aligning with inhibition of return.
- Reduced saccadic inhibition was observed for distractors at more likely locations under endogenous control.
- Findings suggest observers can endogenously suppress location-based interference.
Conclusions:
- Attention significantly modulates saccadic inhibition.
- Results provide insights into the mechanisms of saccade target selection.
- Implications for models of oculomotor control, particularly in the superior colliculus.
