Eye movement targets are released from visual crowding

William J Harrison; Jason B Mattingley; Roger W Remington

doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4172-12.2013

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Eye movement targets are released from visual crowding

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Eye movement targets are released from visual crowding

William J Harrison, Jason B Mattingley and Roger W Remington

The Journal of Neuroscience, Vol.33(7), pp.2927-2933

2013

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4172-12.2013

PMID: 23407951

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https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4172-12.2013View

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Abstract

eye movement

saccade

peripheral vision

visual crowding

Our ability to recognize objects in peripheral vision is impaired when other objects are nearby (Bouma, 1970). This phenomenon, known as crowding, is often linked to interactions in early visual processing that depend primarily on the retinal position of visual stimuli (Pelli, 2008; Pelli and Tillman, 2008). Here we tested a new account that suggests crowding is influenced by spatial information derived from an extraretinal signal involved in eye movement preparation. We had human observers execute eye movements to crowded targets and measured their ability to identify those targets just before the eyes began to move. Beginning ∼50 ms before a saccade toward a crowded object, we found that not only was there a dramatic reduction in the magnitude of crowding, but the spatial area within which crowding occurred was almost halved. These changes in crowding occurred despite no change in the retinal position of target or flanking stimuli. Contrary to the notion that crowding depends on retinal signals alone, our findings reveal an important role for eye movement signals. Eye movement preparation effectively enhances object discrimination in peripheral vision at the goal of the intended saccade. These presaccadic changes may enable enhanced recognition of visual objects in the periphery during active search of visually cluttered environments.

Details

Title: Eye movement targets are released from visual crowding
Authors: William J Harrison (Corresponding Author) - University of Queensland
Jason B Mattingley (Author) - University of Queensland
Roger W Remington (Author) - University of Queensland
Publication details: The Journal of Neuroscience, Vol.33(7), pp.2927-2933
Publisher: Society for Neuroscience
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4172-12.2013
ISSN: 1529-2401
PMID: 23407951
Grants: A Scalable Theory of Behavior Composition for Practical Engineering Models of Human Performance, DP0666772, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Cognitive control of attention and its role in regulating brain function in health and disease, FL110100103, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Psychology
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99995993902621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Neurosciences

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