Experimental test of Bayesian saccade targeting under reversed reading direction
- During reading, rapid eye movements (saccades) shift the reader's line of sight from one word to another for high-acuity visual information processing. While experimental data and theoretical models show that readers aim at word centers, the eye-movement (oculomotor) accuracy is low compared to other tasks. As a consequence, distributions of saccadic landing positions indicate large (i) random errors and (ii) systematic over- and undershoot of word centers, which additionally depend on saccade lengths (McConkie et al.Visual Research, 28(10), 1107-1118,1988). Here we show that both error components can be simultaneously reduced by reading texts from right to left in German language (N= 32). We used our experimental data to test a Bayesian model of saccade planning. First, experimental data are consistent with the model. Second, the model makes specific predictions of the effects of the precision of prior and (sensory) likelihood. Our results suggest that it is a more precise sensory likelihood that can explain the reduction of bothDuring reading, rapid eye movements (saccades) shift the reader's line of sight from one word to another for high-acuity visual information processing. While experimental data and theoretical models show that readers aim at word centers, the eye-movement (oculomotor) accuracy is low compared to other tasks. As a consequence, distributions of saccadic landing positions indicate large (i) random errors and (ii) systematic over- and undershoot of word centers, which additionally depend on saccade lengths (McConkie et al.Visual Research, 28(10), 1107-1118,1988). Here we show that both error components can be simultaneously reduced by reading texts from right to left in German language (N= 32). We used our experimental data to test a Bayesian model of saccade planning. First, experimental data are consistent with the model. Second, the model makes specific predictions of the effects of the precision of prior and (sensory) likelihood. Our results suggest that it is a more precise sensory likelihood that can explain the reduction of both random and systematic error components.…
Author details: | Johan ChandraORCiDGND, André KrügelORCiDGND, Ralf EngbertORCiDGND |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-019-01814-4 |
ISSN: | 1943-393X |
ISSN: | 1943-3921 |
Title of parent work (English): | Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics |
Publisher: | Springer |
Place of publishing: | New York, NY |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Date of first publication: | 2019/07/25 |
Publication year: | 2020 |
Release date: | 2021/02/16 |
Tag: | Bayesian modeling; attention; eye movements and reading; eye-movement control; fixation; model; swift; words |
Volume: | 82 |
Number of pages: | 11 |
First page: | 1230 |
Last Page: | 1240 |
Organizational units: | Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Strukturbereich Kognitionswissenschaften / Department Psychologie |
DDC classification: | 1 Philosophie und Psychologie / 15 Psychologie / 150 Psychologie |
Peer review: | Referiert |
License (German): | Keine öffentliche Lizenz: Unter Urheberrechtsschutz |
External remark: | This article is part of this cumulative dissertation |