Eye Movements: Beyond the Vestibulo-ocular Reflex (VOR)
This lecture explores eye movements beyond the VOR (Vestibulo-ocular reflex), which stabilizes gaze during head movements.
- Cancelling the VOR: We can override the VOR to maintain fixation on a target while moving our head. This gaze control is crucial for clear vision.
- The Ocular Motor Field: This field of study investigates how the nervous system controls eye movements for precise visual acuity.
- Eye Movements and Perception: Eye movements not only serve a physiological purpose but also reveal information about a person’s state and attention.
- Gaze control: Focused gaze in someone like Toula (example in video) suggests intentness.
- Social interaction: Shifty eyes or maintaining eye contact communicate different social cues.
- Neuropsychiatric conditions: Eye movements can be affected in various conditions like depression (difficulty making eye contact) and autism (altered scanning patterns).
Global vs. Local Processing:
The example of the illusory H (made of Es) demonstrates how eye movements influence perception:
- Looking at the entire image (global processing) leads to perceiving an H.
- Focusing on individual components (local processing) reveals the Es.
Next Lecture:
The next lecture will delve deeper into saccades, the primary eye movement for shifting gaze.