Dynamic saccade context triggers more stable object-location binding

Abstract

AbstractOur visual systems rapidly perceive and integrate information about object identities and locations. There is long-standing debate about how we achieve world-centered (spatiotopic) object representations across eye movements, with many studies reporting persistent retinotopic (eye-centered) effects even for higher-level object-location binding. But these studies are generally conducted in fairly static experimental contexts. Might spatiotopic object-location binding only emerge in more dynamic saccade contexts? In the present study, we investigated this using the Spatial Congruency Bias paradigm in healthy adults. In the static (single saccade) context, we found purely retinotopic binding, as before. However, robust spatiotopic binding emerged in the dynamic (multiple frequent saccades) context. We further isolated specific factors that modulate retinotopic and spatiotopic binding. Our results provide strong evidence that dynamic saccade context can trigger more stable object-location binding in ecologically-relevant spatiotopic coordinates, perhaps via a more flexible brain state which accommodates improved visual stability in the dynamic world.Significance StatementOne of the most fundamental challenges for human behavior is how we integrate and stabilize perceptual information in our ever-changing sensory environments. In particular, we make multiple eye movements every second, constantly displacing and distorting our visual input. Yet despite receiving visual input in these disjointed, eye-centered (retinotopic) coordinates, we perceive the world as stable, based on objects’ world-centered (spatiotopic) locations. Our study provides strong evidence for a previously unstudied cue – dynamic saccade context – in triggering more stable object-location binding, which offers a novel step forward in understanding how we form a stable perception of the dynamic world. More broadly, these findings suggest the importance of considering dynamic saccade context in visual perception and cognitive neuroscience studies.