16:30 - 18:00
Mon-H3-Talk 3--31
Mon-Talk 3
Room: H3
Chair/s:
Christina U. Pfeuffer
Sensorimotor prediction guides eye movements toward task-relevant feedback locations
Mon-H3-Talk 3-3102
Presented by: Theresa K. Brand
Theresa K. Brand 1, 3, Alexander Schütz 2, 3, Hermann Müller 1, 3, Mathias Hegele 1, 3, Heiko Maurer 1, Lisa K. Maurer 1, 3
1 Neuromotor Behavior Lab, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany, 2 General and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany, 3 Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior, Universities of Giessen, Marburg and Darmstadt, Germany
Previous research has shown that action outcomes are internally predicted before outcome feedback becomes available. To test whether these sensorimotor predictions are used to facilitate visual information uptake for error feedback processing, we measured eye movements during the execution of a goal-oriented throwing task. On each of three days, 17 right-handed participants (10 female) executed 500 ball throws using a metal lever, with the resulting movement effect being solely observable on a screen. After receiving continuous visual feedback about ball flight in sessions one and two, ball flight was masked in a subset of trials in session three, with only static outcome feedback being provided. In all sessions, we observed a large proportion of predictive saccades, shifting gaze towards the goal region before the ball arrived and outcome feedback became available. Gaze positions after predictive saccades systematically covaried with future ball positions in trials with ball flight information, but notably also in trials with masked ball flight when only internal movement information was available. Fixation durations at the chosen positions after feedback onset were modulated by outcome (longer durations for misses than for hits) and its uncertainty (longer durations for narrow vs. clear outcomes). Combining both effects, durations were longest for narrow errors and shortest for clear hits (270.88 ms vs. 173.41 ms). This result pattern indicates that chosen locations correspond to informational value for processing error feedback and task execution. Thus, humans use sensorimotor prediction to direct their gaze toward task-relevant feedback locations.
Keywords: sensorimotor prediction, predictive eye movements, forward model, action effect monitoring, throwing task