Characteristics of Auditory and Visual Elicited Saccades

Abstract

Saccadic eye movements in response to visual stimuli (V-saccade), auditory stimuli (A-saccade) and auditory-visual stimuli (AV-saccade) were recorded and analyzed. Human saccade data was collected using a SMI Hi-Speed eye tracking system and analyzed with a FORTRAN program, which was used to compute parameter estimates for a 1D saccadic eye movement model. Saccade characteristics were investigated, and the results of saccadic eye movements induced by the three different stimuli types were compared. The auditory-visual stimuli provided the greatest saccade accuracy. Peak velocity increased with increasing saccade amplitude as an exponential shape, while A-saccade showed lower values than V-saccade and AV-saccade. Duration was linearly proportional to saccade amplitude and it was longer for A-saccade. Latent period was relatively independent of saccade amplitude, but there was a significant reduction in AV-saccade.