The Impact of Visual Field Size on Eye-Head Coordination During Cognitive Processing

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of visual cognitive processing on coordinated eye and head movements, aiming to elucidate the intricate relationship between eye-head coordination and visual cognitive processes. Through reanalysis of behavioral data from three visual cognitive tasks from previous studies, the results reveal that these movements involve a combination of multiple saccades and fixations. Notably, during fixations, the head orientation effect increases with visual field size, while during saccades, the head contribution also rises with visual field size. Additionally, head contribution escalates with the number of saccades within a single head movement. The interdisciplinary review and subsequent discussion cover topics such as the visual cognitive system's functioning, the eye-head motor control system, and potential research avenues. These findings deepen our understanding of human behavior and offer promising implications for behavior generation in human-robot interaction and human-centered artificial intelligence.