Acting without seeing: Eye movements reveal visual processing without awareness

Miriam Spering, Marisa Carrasco

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Visual perception and eye movements are considered to be tightly linked. Diverse fields, ranging from developmental psychology to computer science, utilize eye tracking to measure visual perception. However, this prevailing view has been challenged by recent behavioral studies. Here, we review converging evidence revealing dissociations between the contents of perceptual awareness and different types of eye movement. Such dissociations reveal situations in which eye movements are sensitive to particular visual features that fail to modulate perceptual reports. We also discuss neurophysiological, neuroimaging, and clinical studies supporting the role of subcortical pathways for visual processing without awareness. Our review links awareness to perceptual-eye movement dissociations and furthers our understanding of the brain pathways underlying vision and movement with and without awareness.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)247-258
Number of pages12
JournalTrends in Neurosciences
Volume38
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1 2015

Keywords

  • Awareness
  • Eye movements
  • Perception-action dissociation
  • Visual pathways
  • Visual perception

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

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