title: Eye movements in a sequential scanning task: evidence for distributed processing.
abstract: Current models of eye movement control are derived from theories assuming serial processing of single items or from theories based on parallel processing of multiple items at a time. This issue has persisted because most investigated paradigms generated data compatible with both serial and parallel models. Here, we study eye movements in a sequential scanning task, where stimulus n indicates the position of the next stimulus n + 1. We investigate whether eye movements are controlled by sequential attention shifts when the task requires serial order of processing. Our measures of distributed processing in the form of parafoveal-on-foveal effects, long-range modulations of target selection, and skipping saccades provide evidence against models strictly based on serial attention shifts. We conclude that our results lend support to parallel processing as a strategy for eye movement control.
authors.affiliation: University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany. Hans.Trukenbrod@uni-potsdam.de
authors.forename: Hans A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Trukenbrod
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Engbert
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*