Spatial allocation of attention during smooth pursuit eye movements.

We used a dual-task paradigm to investigate the spatial allocation of attention during smooth pursuit. Subjects tracked one character in a translating string of characters (block letter 8's), and during maintained pursuit, one of the characters briefly changed to an E or 3. Based on the ability of subjects to correctly discriminate the probed character, we found that the primary focus of attention during smooth pursuit is centered on the tracked target with no appreciable lead or lag. Spatial cues were only partly effective in directing attention to other locations in our task, and these cueing effects were biased for locations ahead of the tracked target.