The quiet eye without a target: The primacy of visual information processing
Publisher DOI
Abstract
Motor-performance-enhancing effects of long final fixations before movement initiation – a phenomenon called Quiet Eye (QE) – have repeatedly been demonstrated. Drawing on the information-processing framework, it is assumed that the QE supports information processing revealed by the close link between QE duration and task demands concerning, in particular, response selection and movement parameterisation. However, the question remains whether the suggested mechanism also holds for processes referring to stimulus identification. Thus, in a series of two experiments, performance in a targeting task was tested as a function of experimentally manipulated visual processing demands as well as experimentally manipulated QE durations. The results support the suggested link because a performance-enhancing QE effect was found under increased visual processing demands only: Whereas QE duration did not affect performance as long as positional information was preserved (Experiment 1), in the full vs. no target visibility comparison, QE efficiency turned out to depend on information processing time as soon as the interval falls below a certain threshold (Experiment 2). Thus, the results rather contradict alternative, e.g., posture-based explanations of QE effects and support the assumption that the crucial mechanism behind the QE phenomenon is rooted in the cognitive domain.
Date Issued
2014-12-01
Publication Type
Article
Subject(s)
Subjects
quiet eye
•
gaze behaviour
•
motor performance
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postural control
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precision task
Language(s)
en
Additional Credits
Journal
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance
Publisher
American Psychological Association
ISSN
0096-1523
Access(Rights)
restricted