Inter-individual differences of eye movements during sensorimotor tasks

为了学习和执行诸如系鞋带之类的感觉运动序列，提取和处理高视觉细节的动作相关视觉信息(LAES)是必不可少的。出于这个原因，我们通过所谓的扫视，每秒移动我们的眼睛大约三次，以便将与任务相关的信息带到中心凹--视网膜上视觉分辨率最高的区域。计划中的研究项目将确定感觉运动序列中的眼球运动在个体之间有何不同，以及这些差异如何与感觉运动表现和基本认知过程有关。虽然我们知道个体间的差异存在于大多数任务中，但通常不在实验心理学的范围内对其进行分析。然而，理解这种个体差异可以增强对一般过程的理解。例如，不同认知过程之间的关系可以通过它们的个体间差异的相关性来揭示。此外，了解个体之间的差异如何与任务绩效相关，可以揭示哪些过程特征是有益的。先前的研究表明，人类在知觉任务中的眼动表现出稳定的个体间差异，例如，在视觉搜索或观看图片时，他们的注视持续时间、注视速度和扫视幅度。然而，这些或其他特定于人的眼动参数是否也出现在感觉运动任务中，以及它们如何有助于感觉运动序列的获取和执行，目前还没有研究。此外，目前还不清楚眼手协调是否也存在个体间的差异，以及这些差异可能如何与个体眼球运动模式联系起来。初步数据表明，感觉运动序列中的眼球运动存在个体间差异。这项计划的项目有三个目标：1.确定感觉运动任务中眼球运动和眼手协调的个体差异，并调查它们与注意力、工作记忆和智力等基本认知过程的关系。2.应研究所识别的个体眼动参数的稳定性。3.研究眼动参数对感觉运动性能的影响。因此，一方面将考虑眼动参数与感觉运动序列的获取和执行之间的关系。另一方面，应该通过指导和反馈来操纵眼动模式，以便对因果关系有更扎实的了解。在感觉运动任务中对眼动参数的洞察也可以用于康复或人体工程学等应用领域。

In order to learn and execute a sensorimotor sequence such as tying shoe laces, it is essential to extract and process action-relevant visual information (laces) in high visual detail. For that reason we move our eyes about three times a second by means of so-called saccades in order to bring the task-relevant information onto the fovea – the area with highest visual resolution on the retina. The planned research project shall identify how eye movements in a sensorimotor sequence differ between individuals and how these differences are related to sensorimotor performance as well as basic cognitive processes. Although it is known that inter-individual variation exists in most tasks, it is usually not analyzed within the scope of experimental psychology. However, understanding this individual variation can enhance the understanding of general processes. The relation between different cognitive processes can, for instance, be revealed by a correlation of their inter-individual variation. In addition, understanding how inter-individual differences are related to task performance can reveal which process characteristics are beneficial. Prior studies revealed that humans show stable inter-individual differences in their eye movements in perceptual tasks, for instance, in their fixation duration, fixation rate, and saccade amplitude during visual search or picture viewing. However, it has not been studied whether these or other person-specific eye movement parameters emerge also during sensorimotor tasks and how they contribute to the acquisition and execution of sensorimotor sequences. Moreover, it is unknown whether there are also inter-individual differences in the eye-hand coordination and how these might be connected to the individual eye movement patterns. Preliminary data points to inter-individual differences in eye movements in sensorimotor sequences. The planned project has three goals: 1. Inter-individual differences in eye movements and eye-hand coordination during sensorimotor tasks shall be identified and their relation to basic cognitive processes such as attention, working memory, and intelligence shall be investigated. 2. The stability of the identified individual eye movement parameters shall be investigated. 3. The effects of the eye movement parameters on sensorimotor performance shall be investigated. Therefore, the relation between the eye movement parameters and the acquisition and execution of sensorimotor sequences will be considered on the one hand. On the other hand, the eye movement pattern shall be manipulated by instruction and feedback in order to get more solid insights about causation. The insights about eye movement parameters in sensorimotor tasks can also be useful for fields of application such as rehabilitation or ergonomics.