Training eye movements: can training people where to look hinder the processing of fixated objects?

An experiment designed to test the effects of different forms of training in a visual-search-like task is reported. Observers were presented with a series of displays containing a central letter and a ring of peripheral characters, one of which was a digit. Odd digits (catch trials) required a space-bar response; even digits required a different response contingent on the identity of the central letter. Two forms of training provided information either about the location of the peripheral digit, or about a quick way to classify the central letter. The aim was to relate training to Findlay and Walker's (1999, Behavioral and Brain Sciences 22 661-721) model of saccadic eye-movement control by affecting the hypothesised Move and Fixate centres respectively. The results showed that training benefited search, but training of the Move centre alone generated significantly longer re-inspections of the central region (in a feedback condition). This highlights that the emphasis often placed upon broadening the range of visual search when training eye movements may be misplaced. More specifically, special attention should be given, not only to advising people how to move their eyes, but also to improving the ability to effectively process important visual stimuli when fixating.