Abstract
We have previously demonstrated that during the preparation of a saccadic eye movement, defining features of the eye movement target are enhanced in the pre-saccadic center of gaze. Here, we describe a systematic relation between the eccentricity of the saccade target and the resolution of foveally enhanced information, suggesting that foveal predictions rely on instantaneous peripheral input. Observers detected an orientation-filtered noise patch (the probe; presented on 50% of trials) in foveal vision while preparing a saccade to another orientation-filtered patch (the target) presented peripherally. Target and probe exhibited one of two possible orientations which were either congruent or incongruent to one another. We embedded both stimuli in a stream of pink noise images covering the entire screen. Crucially, we varied the eccentricity of the saccade target (5-10 degrees of visual angle) and the spatial frequency of the foveal probe (SF; 0.25-15 cycles per degree). Hit rates (HRs) for foveal probes with target-congruent orientation showed an interaction between target eccentricity and probe SF: with increasing target eccentricity, foveal HRs for high SFs decreased while HRs for low SFs increased. HRs for target-incongruent orientations, in contrast, were invariant across eccentricities. Consequently, the foveal detection advantage for target-congruent over incongruent orientations (i.e., enhancement) manifested in a progressively lower SF range. Reverse correlations revealed that observers’ response behavior was highly systematic even when they generated false alarms (FAs): FAs with target-incongruent and target-congruent orientation report relied on an incidental, high energy of the perceived orientation in the foveal background noise. Notably, as target eccentricity increased, congruent FAs were triggered by target-like orientations of gradually decreasing SF. We conclude that saccade target features at their pre-saccadic resolution, which is determined by target eccentricity, are predicted in the center of gaze. For a brief instance, this mechanism alters the resolution of target-congruent foveal feature information.