{"id":10543,"date":"2023-03-01T08:18:14","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T13:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sciencebeta.com\/?p=10543"},"modified":"2023-03-01T08:18:25","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T13:18:25","slug":"fixational-eye-movements-spatial-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sciencebeta.com\/fixational-eye-movements-spatial-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Eye Movements Play Big Role in Spatial Vision"},"content":{"rendered":"
Our eyes are never still. Instead, fixational eye movements \u2014 small, continuous movements that we are not aware of making \u2014 keep them moving even between our voluntary gaze shifts. A new study suggests that involuntary fixational eye movements are more important for vision than previously believed.<\/p>\n
The ability of humans to perceive the world as stable<\/a> while having eyes that are constantly moving has long been a puzzle for scientists. According to earlier studies, the human visual system creates a stable world image between voluntary gaze shifts by relying solely on sensory information from fixational eye movements.<\/p>\n However, the new study suggests that there might be additional contributing factors. According to the researchers, fixational eye movements provide the visual system with sensory information as well as information about the motor behaviour involved in those movements.<\/p>\n Even though humans are unaware of moving their eyes, the human brain precisely understands how the eyes move. Using this knowledge, our brains can infer spatial relationships<\/a> and perceive the world as stable rather than blurred.<\/p>\n Contrary to what is generally believed, the research’s findings show that spatial representations \u2014 the locations of objects in relation to one another \u2014 are based on a combination of sensory and motor activity from both voluntary and involuntary eye movements<\/a>.<\/p>\n “It was already clear that the visual system uses sensory and motor knowledge from large voluntary movements, either gaze shifts we perform to look at different parts of a scene, or tracking movements for following moving objects. But scientists didn\u2019t think smaller, involuntary movements like\u00a0fixational eye movements could be used to convey information through motor signals,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n said Michele Rucci, a professor in the brain and cognitive sciences department and Center for Visual Science at the University of Rochester.<\/p>\nTracking Movements and Gaze Shifts<\/h2>\n
Eye Motor Activity<\/h2>\n