Quiet eyes: Visual gaze stability predicts intra- and interindividual differences in attention control

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Human Factors

Background:

• Attention control is a key cognitive function.
• Its coherence as a construct requires empirical validation.
• Oculomotor dynamics offer a potential window into attention mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the coherence of attention control.
• To investigate the relationship between oculomotor dynamics (gaze stability) and attention control.
• To explore individual differences in attention control, gaze stability, working memory, and motivation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized oculomotor dynamics (gaze stability) during three attention tasks (antisaccade, psychomotor vigilance, sustained attention to cue) in 388 young adults.
• Assessed attention control reliability and its relation to working memory capacity.
• Correlated gaze stability with attention performance within and across individuals.

Main Results:

• Attention control is reliably measured and distinct from working memory capacity.
• Gaze stability (quiet eye) was associated with more accurate responses in antisaccade and sustained attention tasks.
• Quiet eye correlated with faster responses in the psychomotor vigilance task.
• Across tasks, gaze stability significantly predicted attention performance.
• Individual differences in quiet eye were distinct from working memory and motivation.

Conclusions:

• Findings support attention control as a distinct cognitive construct.
• Gaze stability (quiet eye) is a significant correlate and potential mechanism underlying attention performance.
• Individual differences in gaze stability contribute to variability in attention control beyond working memory and motivation.