Visual working memory-related corrective saccade biases are amplified by task demands, without updating working...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Ophthalmology
• Psychology

Background:

• Visual working memory (VWM) and oculomotor control exhibit reciprocal interactions.
• VWM content can influence eye movement execution, and eye movements during memory delays can affect VWM performance.
• Oculomotor capture extends to corrective saccades, which can be biased by VWM content matching distractors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the bidirectional influences between VWM and the oculomotor system, focusing on corrective saccade biases.
• To determine if VWM content influences corrective saccade biases towards distractors.
• To examine the impact of VWM task demands on oculomotor biases.

Main Methods:

• Twenty participants memorized a color hue and performed a gaze-contingent saccade task with mid-saccade item shifts and distractor color changes.
• Participants completed an Easy condition (different color category) and a Difficult condition (same color category) to manipulate VWM task demands.
• Corrective saccade biases towards distractors matching or mismatching VWM content were analyzed in relation to VWM performance.

Main Results:

• VWM performance was significantly higher in the Easy condition compared to the Difficult condition.
• Corrective saccade biases towards distractors were more frequent when the distractor color matched the memorized hue.
• These biases were more pronounced in the Difficult condition, indicating increased VWM engagement.

Conclusions:

• The study found no evidence that saccade biases update VWM content.
• Results suggest that VWM task demands and engagement influence automatic oculomotor biases towards distractors.
• A bidirectional influence exists, with VWM influencing oculomotor control, particularly under higher cognitive load.