Coarse-to-fine eye movement behavior during visual search.
It has previously been argued that, during visual search, eye movement behavior is indicative of an underlying scanning "strategy" that starts on a global, or "coarse," scale but then progressively focuses to a more local, or "fine," scale. This conclusion is motivated by the finding that, as a trial progresses, fixation durations tend to increase and saccade amplitudes tend to decrease. In the present study, we replicate these effects but offer an alternative explanation for them-that they emerge from a few stochastic factors that control eye movement behavior. We report the results of a simulation supporting this hypothesis and discuss implications for future models of visual search.
School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, Hampshire, SO17 1BJ, UK, hayward.godwin@soton.ac.uk.
Hayward J
HJ
Godwin
Erik D
ED
Reichle
Tamaryn
T
Menneer
D000328:Adult; D005133:Eye Movements; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012438:Saccades; D014796:Visual Perception; D055815:Young Adult