Abstract
The inverse relationship between flash intensity and response times was studied under identical conditions using two different response measures, saccadic eye movements and manual responses. It was found that saccade latencies were less dependent on flash intensity than were manual responses. In addition, detection failures to near-threshold flashes were significantly less frequent when subjects signaled detection of the flash by making a saccade. These differences in detection performance may reflect a greater capacity of the oculomotor system to decode near-threshold ganglion cell responses.
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This research was supported in part by a fellowship awarded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and in part by a faculty fellowship awarded by Dartmouth College. J.V.K, was supported by funds supplied by Dartmouth College.
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Hughes, H.C., Kelsey, J.V. Response-dependent effects on near-threshold detection performance: Saccades versus manual responses. Perception & Psychophysics 35, 543–546 (1984). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03205950
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03205950