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Discriminating between anticipatory and visually triggered saccades: measuring minimal visual saccadic response time
Jessica Heeman1,2, Stefan Van der Stigchel2, Douglas P Munoz3
1Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Department of Cognitive Psychology, Vrije Universiteit , Amsterdam , The Netherlands.
Journal of Neurophysiology
|February 21, 2019
Summary
We developed a new method to distinguish anticipatory from visually triggered saccades, finding minimal visual saccadic reaction time (SRT) is shorter for bright targets. This suggests flexible SRT cutoffs are needed for accurate research.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Saccadic reaction time (SRT) research often uses fixed cutoffs, potentially misclassifying saccade types.
- Distinguishing visually triggered from anticipatory saccades is crucial for accurate SRT measurement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel behavioral method for discriminating anticipatory from visually triggered saccades.
- To determine the minimal visual SRT and its dependence on target luminance.
- To establish a feasible lower bound cutoff for visually triggered saccade latencies.
Main Methods:
- Developed a behavioral anticipation paradigm to differentiate saccade types.
- Measured minimal visual SRT for saccades triggered by targets of varying luminance.
- Applied the method to compute SRTs in human participants.
Main Results:
- Minimal visual SRT was 46 ms shorter for bright targets compared to dim targets.
- The transition from anticipatory to visually triggered saccades was abrupt and luminance-independent.
- Individual variations in absolute SRTs were observed, but response patterns remained consistent.
Conclusions:
- The minimal visual SRT is influenced by stimulus saliency features like luminance.
- Fixed SRT cutoffs (e.g., 70-90 ms) may lead to inaccurate data inclusion.
- It is recommended to determine SRT lower bounds experimentally for specific setups and participant groups.
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