Effect of the appearance of a new object on oculomotor control
article
Purpose. To determine the extent to which endogenously controlled eye movements are affected by the sudden appearance of an irrelevant object (an abrupt onset). Previous research has shown that visual attention is captured by the appearance of a new object (e.g., Yantis, 1993). Methods. Observers had to make an eye movement to a predefined target prestnt in th visual field. At different SOAs after the presentation of the target (0, 50, 100, 150 ms), an abrupt onset was presented at different locations in the visual field. Both manual and eye latencies were measured as well as the scan patch of the eye. Results. The results indicate that at the early SOAs, latencies to respond to the target were increased when the onset was presented near the target location. At later SOAs and at locations away from the target, the onset had no effect. Conclusion. The appearance of a new object in the visual field does set off a preset eye movement towards a target when that new object is presented near the target. The results suggest that similar to visual attention, eye movement behavior is the result of an interaction between goal-driven and stimulus-driven factors.
TNO Identifier
280500
ISSN
01460404
Source
Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 38(4), pp. 294.
Pages
294
Files
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