To stare or to scrutinize: "grasping" the eye for better vision

Words of a rich variety exist for describing the different ways of "looking" at a target; and one of the major dimensions for such differentiation is the spectrum between staring and scrutinizing, between gazing and peering. This dimension seems primarily to reflect the level of attention given to details of the visual stimuli: a "cognitive" distinction. Evidence now demonstrates that staring and scrutiny also differ in the net muscular forces exerted on the eye; during scrutiny, opposing pairs of rectus muscles apparently jointly contract pulling the eye somewhat backward into its orbit, while it stays aimed in the same direction.