
Eye movements reflect the dynamic interplay between top-down- and bottom-up-driven processes. For example, when we voluntarily move our eyes across the visual field, salient visual stimuli in the environment may capture our attention, our eyes, or modulate the trajectory of an eye movement. Previous research has shown that the behavioral relevance of a salient stimulus modulates these processes. This study investigated whether a stimulus signaling an aversive event modulates saccadic behavior. Using a differential fear-conditioning procedure, we presented a threatening (conditional stimulus: CS+) and a nonthreatening stimulus distractor (CS-) during an oculomotor selection task. The results show that short-latency saccades deviated more strongly toward the CS+ than toward the CS- distractor, whereas long-latency saccades deviated more strongly away from the CS+ than from the CS- distractor. Moreover, the CS+ distractor captured the eyes more often than the CS- distractor. Together, these results demonstrate that conditioned fear has a direct and immediate influence on visual selection. The findings are interpreted in terms of a neurobiological model of emotional visual processing.
Adult, ATTENTIONAL CAPTURE, Conditioning, Classical, Social Sciences, emotion, Fear, fear conditioning, saccade curvature, IRRELEVANT ONSETS, ANGRY FACES, AMYGDALA, TARGET SELECTION, STIMULI, visual selection, SACCADIC EYE-MOVEMENTS, Saccades, Visual Perception, AFFECTIVE BLINDSIGHT, Humans, EMOTIONAL PICTURES, SUPERIOR COLLICULUS, eye movement, Eye Movement Measurements
Adult, ATTENTIONAL CAPTURE, Conditioning, Classical, Social Sciences, emotion, Fear, fear conditioning, saccade curvature, IRRELEVANT ONSETS, ANGRY FACES, AMYGDALA, TARGET SELECTION, STIMULI, visual selection, SACCADIC EYE-MOVEMENTS, Saccades, Visual Perception, AFFECTIVE BLINDSIGHT, Humans, EMOTIONAL PICTURES, SUPERIOR COLLICULUS, eye movement, Eye Movement Measurements
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| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% |
