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Abstract
Accurate saccadic programming in natural visual scenes requires a signal designating
which of the many potential targets is to be the goal of the saccade. Is this signal
controlled by the allocation of perceptual attention, or do saccades have their own
independent selective filter? We found evidence for the involvement of perceptual
attention, namely: (1) summoning perceptual attention to a target also facilitated
saccades; (2) perceptual identification was better at the saccadic goal than elsewhere;
and (3) attempts to dissociate the locus of attention from the saccadic goal were
unsuccessful, i.e. it was not possible to prepare to look quickly and accurately at
one target while at the same time making highly accurate perceptual judgements about
targets elsewhere. We also studied the trade-off between saccadic and perceptual performance
by means of a novel application of the "attentional operating characteristic" (AOC)
to oculomotor performance. This analysis revealed that some attention could be diverted
from the saccadic goal with virtually no cost to either saccadic latency or accuracy,
showing that there is a ceiling on the attentional demands of saccades. The links
we discovered between saccades and attention can be explained by a model in which
perceptual attention determines the endpoint of the saccade, while a separate trigger
signal initiates the saccade in response to transient changes in the attentional locus.
The model will be discussed in the context of current neurophysiological work on saccadic
control.