Saccadic and perceptual performance in visual search tasks. I. Contrast detection and discrimination.

Full Abstract

Humans use saccadic eye movements when they search for visual targets. We investigated the relationship between the visual processing used by saccades and perception during search by comparing saccadic and perceptual decisions under conditions in which each had access to equal visual information. We measured the accuracy of perceptual judgments and of the first search saccade over a wide range of target saliences [signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs)] in both a contrast-detection and a contrast-discrimination task. We found that saccadic and perceptual performances (1) were similar across SNRs, (2) showed similar task-dependent differences, and (3) were well described by a model based on signal detection theory that explicitly includes observer uncertainty [M. P. Eckstein et al., J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 14, 2406 (1997)1]. Our results demonstrate that the accuracy of the first saccade provides much information about the observer's perceptual state at the time of the saccadic decision and provide evidence that saccades and perception use similar visual processing mechanisms for contrast detection and discrimination.

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Author information

Author/s: Beutter, Brent R (BR); Eckstein, Miguel P (MP); Stone, Leland S (LS);

Affiliation: MS 262-2, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California 94035-1000, USA. bbeutter(-atsign-)mail.arc.nasa.gov

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, image science, and vision (J Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-Jul; vol 20 (issue 7) : pp 1341-55

Dates: Created 2003/07/18; Completed 2003/09/03; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 12868639, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Male
Models, Psychological
Saccades - physiology
Signal Detection (Psychology)
Visual Perception - physiology

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