Temporal patterns of saccadic eye movements predict individual variation in alternation rate during binocular rivalry

Sarah Hancock

Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK

sarah.gaskell@nottingham.ac.uk;

Lynn Gareze

Department of Psychology, University of Durham, Durham DH1 3LE, UK

l.gareze@durham.ac.uk;

John M Findlay

Department of Psychology, University of Durham, Durham DH1 3LE, UK

j.m.findlay@durham.ac.uk;

Timothy J Andrews

Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK

t.andrews@psych.york.ac.uk;

 
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Abstract. Interindividual variation has been shown in the rates at which subjects alternate in perception during viewing of binocular rivalry and other ambiguous figures. A similar pattern of interindividual variation is evident in the rate of eye movements. The aim of this study was to determine whether individual differences in the rate of binocular rivalry predict individual differences in the rate of eye movements. First, participants reported changes in perception during contour rivalry. We found that the alternation rate during rivalry varied from 0.15 to 0.59/s between individuals. Next, participants viewed different visual displays while their eye movements were tracked. We found that the rate of saccadic eye movements varied by 1.9–4.4/s between individuals. Although the temporal characteristics of eye movements and binocular rivalry differed in their absolute rate, we found a significant positive correlation between these measures; that is, the frequency of saccadic eye movements can predict an individual’s rate of perceptual alternation during rivalry. These findings suggest a potential link between the mechanisms involved in binocular rivalry and those processes involved in controlling eye movements.


Cite as: Hancock S, Gareze  L, Findlay  J M, Andrews  T J, 2012, "Temporal patterns of saccadic eye movements predict individual variation in alternation rate during binocular rivalry" i-Perception 3(1) 88–96
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DOI: 10.1068/i0486

ISSN: 2041-6695 (electronic only)

Copyright: Copyright is retained by the author(s) of this article. This open-access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Licence, which permits noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction, provided the original author(s) and source are credited and no alterations are made.
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