Early visual modulation and selection predict saccadic timing during visual search: An ERP study.

Saccadic eye movements, a critical aspect of real‐world visual behavior, are preceded by an initial accumulation of visual information followed by the selection of a single location to move one's eyes. However, it is currently unclear how each of these stages uniquely affects saccadic timing. In this study, participants searched for a contour integration target while EEG was used to measure posterior cortical activity between search display onset and first saccade initiation. The goal was to determine whether saccade timing could be attributed to differences in early ERP amplitudes, with the P1 reflecting the magnitude of early perceptual information accumulation and the N1 reflecting the strength of selection leading to the saccadic decision. EOG was used to measure saccade timing, and trials were divided into fast, middle, and slow bins. The N1 response was smallest in the slow saccade tertile, relative to both the fast and middle tertiles, suggesting weak selection. In contrast, the P1 response was largest for this same slow saccadic tertile relative to the middle saccadic tertile, suggesting vigorous information accumulation. Therefore, delays in saccadic behavior may occur when the visual system is overwhelmed with visual input, thus increasing the time to reach a saccadic decision. These findings reconcile models of eye movement behavior which often prioritize either the impact of information accrual or selection, rather than regarding both as an integrated whole. Our results indicate that initial saccadic timing is predicted by the P1 and N1 responses to the search display onset, reflecting the role that both the modulation and selection of visual input have in determining saccade execution. We believe that these findings have an important role in helping to shape the growing body of literature surrounding models of eye movement behavior by finding neurophysiological evidence that supports roles for both information accumulation and decision processes in determining the speed of the impending saccadic decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]