Abstract
Trans-saccadic integration is a process by which visual information from separate gazes are integrated to form a unified and stable perceptual representation of the visual world. Previous research has suggested that trans-saccadic integration is limited. The purpose of this study is to investigate if certain object features such as luminance, orientation, and shape may be retained and integrated across saccades. Subjects participated in a task which involved comparing two sequentially presented probes in terms of their luminance levels, orientation, and overall shape. Subjects performed this task under two conditions. In the first condition subjects were required to maintain eye fixation as both probes were presented. Conversely, during the second condition subjects were required to make a saccade in the delay interval that separated the two probes. Also, probe presentation varied in terms of their retinal and spatial locations. In one half of the trials both probes were presented directly on the subjects fovea. The other trials the first probe was presented on the subjects' periphery and the second on their fovea. The magnetic eye coil technique was used for monitoring eye movements to ensure that subjects did not make extraneous eye movements. Results showed that the subjects' accuracy were statistically the same between the conditions comparing saccade conditions with eyes-fixated conditions. Moreover, there was a significant difference found for probe presentation, subjects were more accurate when both probes were presented on the fovea. This would suggest that luminance, orientation, and shape information are retained and integrated across saccades at approximately the same accuracy as when eyes are fixated.