Journal article

Publication year: 2006

Pages: 1136-1154

Journal: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance

Volume number: 32

Issue number: 5

ISSN: 0096-1523

eISSN: 1939-1277

Open access status: Green

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-1523.32.5.1136

Publisher: American Psychological Association

Abstract: 
When 2 targets for pursuit eye movements move in different directions, the eye velocity follows the vector average (S. G. Lisberger & V. P. Ferrera, 1997). The present study investigates the mechanisms of target selection when observers are instructed to follow a predefined horizontal target and to ignore a moving distractor stimulus. Results show that at 140 ms after distractor onset, horizontal eye velocity is decreased by about 25%. Vertical eye velocity increases or decreases by 1 degrees/s in the direction opposite from the distractor. This deviation varies in size with distractor direction, velocity, and contrast. The effect was present during the initiation and steady-state tracking phase of pursuit but only when the observer had prior information about target motion. Neither vector averaging nor winner-take-all models could predict the response to a moving to-be-ignored distractor during steady-state tracking of a predefined target. The contributions of perceptual mislocalization and spatial attention to the vertical deviation in pursuit are discussed.

Harvard Citation style: Spering, M., Gegenfurtner, K. and Kerzel, D. (2006) Distractor interference during smooth pursuit eye movements, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 32(5), pp. 1136-1154. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-1523.32.5.1136

APA Citation style: Spering, M., Gegenfurtner, K., & Kerzel, D. (2006). Distractor interference during smooth pursuit eye movements. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 32(5), 1136-1154. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-1523.32.5.1136