Suppressive effects of a peripheral grating displacement during saccadic eye movement and during fixation.

Rapid displacement of a peripheral grating reduced sensitivity to test flashes presented at the center of gaze equally well, whether the displacement was produced by mirror movement during fixation or by saccadic eye movement with the grating stationary. Small 0.5 degree flashes in the retinal periphery were not affected by distant grating displacements, but large (5.0 degree) flashes were suppressed. Thus there is a size-selective suppressive mechanism which does not affect small stimuli except at the fovea.