Transient perceptual enhancements resulting from selective shifts of exogenous attention in the central fovea

Abstract

Transient perceptual enhancements resulting from selective shifts of exogenous attention in the central fovea Highlights d Exogenous attention selectively modulates perception in the central fovea d Transient enhancements of high-acuity vision are observed at the cued location d On a longer timescale, high acuity is enhanced at the other uncued foveal locations

Motion processing impaired by transient spatial attention: Potential implications for the magnocellular pathway

“…These results indicated that fine detail is resolved better at the cued locations with short delays and acuity increases at the uncued locations with longer delays. The findings of Zhang et al (2021) suggest that exogenous valid cues led to initial facilitation, which was subsequently replaced by facilitation for invalid and neutral cues in a spatial task (i.e., orientation discrimination). However, the time course of attentional modulation in terms of facilitation and possible inhibition in a spatiotemporal task with stimuli presented in the near periphery remains an open question and more evidence is necessary.…”

“…However, this certainly does not rule out the possibility that inhibition occurred, so this point remains open for further investigation. Concerning the initial facilitation/late inhibition hypothesis, a recent study of Zhang, Shelchkova, Ezzo, and Poletti (2021) investigating the time course of attentional effects in the fovea showed that exogenous attention was associated with an early enhancement in orientation discrimination. When target stimuli were preceded by a valid transient spatial cue within a short interval (i.e., 100 ms), sensitivity in orientation discrimination improved compared to neutral and invalid conditions.…”

High-resolution eye-tracking via digital imaging of Purkinje reflections

“…examine the influence of eye movements on spatial vision 43,44 , map visual functions across the fovea 11 , study the interaction between eye movements and attention 10,45 , and elucidate oculomotor strategies in both microsaccades 7,20 and ocular drifts 46 . For example, accurate gaze localization has been instrumental to unveil that microsaccades precisely position the center of gaze on relevant features of the stimulus 6,7 and that eye movements enhance fine spatial vision 9,47 .…”

“…The combination of resolution, accuracy, and real-time gaze-contingent control afforded by the analog DPI has been extensively used to study visual functions in the presence of eye movements. In our laboratory, these techniques have been applied, among other things, to examine the influence of eye movements on spatial vision 43,44 , map visual functions across the fovea 11 , study the interaction between eye movements and attention 10,45 , and elucidate oculomotor strategies in both microsaccades 7,20 and ocular drifts 46 . For example, accurate gaze localization has been instrumental to unveil that microsaccades precisely position the center of gaze on relevant features of the stimulus 6,7 and that eye movements enhance fine spatial vision 9,47 .…”

“…they lead to better determination of where the observer looks in the scene 5 . This approach has been used extensively to investigate the purpose of small saccades 6,7 , the characteristics of foveal vision 8,9 , and the dynamics of vision and attention within the fovea 10,11 .…”