Knowledge-driven perceptual organization reshapes information sampling via eye movements

Pedziwiatr, Marek A., von dem Hagen, Elisabeth ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1056-8196 and Teufel, Christoph ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3915-9716 2023. Knowledge-driven perceptual organization reshapes information sampling via eye movements. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 49 (3) , pp. 408-427. 10.1037/xhp0001080

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Abstract

Humans constantly move their eyes to explore the environment. However, how image-computable features and object representations contribute to eye-movement control is an ongoing debate. Recent developments in object perception indicate a complex relationship between features and object representations, where image-independent object knowledge generates objecthood by reconfiguring how feature space is carved up. Here, we adopt this emerging perspective, asking whether object-oriented eye movements result from gaze being guided by image-computable features, or by the fact that these features are bound into an object representation. We recorded eye movements in response to stimuli that initially appear as meaningless patches but are experienced as coherent objects once relevant object knowledge has been acquired. We demonstrate that fixations on identical images are more object-centered, less dispersed, and more consistent across observers once these images are organized into objects. Gaze guidance also showed a shift from exploratory information sampling to exploitation of object-related image areas. These effects were evident from the first fixations onwards. Importantly, eye movements were not fully determined by knowledge-dependent object representations but were best explained by the integration of these representations with image-computable features. Overall, the results show how information sampling via eye movements is guided by a dynamic interaction between image-computable features and knowledge-driven perceptual organization.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
ISSN:	0096-1523
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	10 October 2022
Date of Acceptance:	4 October 2022
Last Modified:	07 May 2023 21:55
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/153272

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