Expand this Topic clickable element to expand a topic
Skip to content
Optica Publishing Group

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

Not Accessible

Your library or personal account may give you access

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)]. 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.

© 2003 Optical Society of America

Full Article  |  PDF Article
More Like This
Saccadic and perceptual performance in visual search tasks. II. Letter discrimination

Richard F. Murray, Brent R. Beutter, Miguel P. Eckstein, and Leland S. Stone
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 20(7) 1356-1370 (2003)

Effects of salience and reward information during saccadic decisions under risk

Martin Stritzke, Julia Trommershäuser, and Karl R. Gegenfurtner
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 26(11) B1-B13 (2009)

Saccadic suppression and stimulus uncertainty

Daniel S. Greenhouse and Theodore E. Cohn
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 8(3) 587-595 (1991)

Cited By

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Figures (9)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Figure files are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Equations (16)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Equations are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Select as filters


Select Topics Cancel
© Copyright 2024 | Optica Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved