Visual attention and eye movement control during oculomotor competition
Luca Wollenberg1,2, Nina M Hanning1,3, Heiner Deubel1
1Allgemeine und Experimentelle Psychologie, Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany.
Journal of Vision
|September 25, 2020
Summary
Predicting target and distractor locations improves saccade accuracy. Spatial uncertainty and short delays enhance eye movement control by focusing visual attention during movement preparation.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Saccadic eye movements normally follow shifts in visual attention.
- Oculomotor selection may occur without attentional selection in cases of saccade averaging.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate saccade target selection during competition between a target and distractor.
- Examine top-down eye movement control based on visual attention dynamics during movement preparation.
Main Methods:
- Combined saccade and visual discrimination tasks.
- Manipulated spatial predictability of target/distractor locations.
- Used variably delayed go-signals to control movement preparation time.
Main Results:
- Location predictability improved short-latency saccade accuracy.
- Spatial uncertainty with short go-signal delays enhanced saccade accuracy via selective attention.
- Visual attention deployment correlated with saccade accuracy.
Conclusions:
- Top-down eye movement control is linked to selective visual attention during movement preparation.
- Predictability and attentional focus modulate saccade accuracy.
- Novel insights into the interplay between attention and oculomotor control.
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