Gregory, Nicola J. and Hodgson, Timothy L.
(2012)
Giving subjects the eye and showing them the finger: socio-biological cues and saccade generation in the anti-saccade task.
Perception, 41
(2).
pp. 131-147.
ISSN 0301-0066
Full content URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1068/p7085
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Item Type: | Article |
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Item Status: | Live Archive |
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Abstract
Pointing with the eyes or the finger occurs frequently in social interaction to indicate
direction of attention and one's intentions. Research with a voluntary saccade task (where saccade
direction is instructed by the colour of a fixation point) suggested that gaze cues automatically
activate the oculomotor system, but non-biological cues, like arrows, do not. However, other work
has failed to support the claim that gaze cues are special. In the current research we introduced
biological and non-biological cues into the anti-saccade task, using a range of stimulus onset
asynchronies (SOAs). The anti-saccade task recruits both top ^ down and bottom^ up attentional
mechanisms, as occurs in naturalistic saccadic behaviour. In experiment 1 gaze, but not arrows,
facilitated saccadic reaction times (SRTs) in the opposite direction to the cues over all SOAs,
whereas in experiment 2 directional word cues had no effect on saccades. In experiment 3 finger
pointing cues caused reduced SRTs in the opposite direction to the cues at short SOAs. These
findings suggest that biological cues automatically recruit the oculomotor system whereas non-
biological cues do not. Furthermore, the anti-saccade task set appears to facilitate saccadic responses in the opposite direction to the cues.
Additional Information: | Pointing with the eyes or the finger occurs frequently in social interaction to indicate
direction of attention and one's intentions. Research with a voluntary saccade task (where saccade
direction is instructed by the colour of a fixation point) suggested that gaze cues automatically
activate the oculomotor system, but non-biological cues, like arrows, do not. However, other work
has failed to support the claim that gaze cues are special. In the current research we introduced
biological and non-biological cues into the anti-saccade task, using a range of stimulus onset
asynchronies (SOAs). The anti-saccade task recruits both top ^ down and bottom^ up attentional
mechanisms, as occurs in naturalistic saccadic behaviour. In experiment 1 gaze, but not arrows,
facilitated saccadic reaction times (SRTs) in the opposite direction to the cues over all SOAs,
whereas in experiment 2 directional word cues had no effect on saccades. In experiment 3 finger
pointing cues caused reduced SRTs in the opposite direction to the cues at short SOAs. These
findings suggest that biological cues automatically recruit the oculomotor system whereas non-
biological cues do not. Furthermore, the anti-saccade task set appears to facilitate saccadic responses in the opposite direction to the cues. |
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Keywords: | antisaccades, eye gaze, finger pointing, attention |
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Subjects: | C Biological Sciences > C830 Experimental Psychology |
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Divisions: | College of Social Science > School of Psychology |
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ID Code: | 6050 |
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Deposited On: | 17 Aug 2012 13:05 |
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