Giving subjects the eye and showing them the finger: socio-biological cues and saccade generation in the anti-saccade task.

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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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.
Keywords:antisaccades, eye gaze, finger pointing, attention
Subjects:C Biological Sciences > C830 Experimental Psychology
Divisions:College of Social Science > School of Psychology
ID Code:6050
Deposited On:17 Aug 2012 13:05

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