RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Learning in the eyes: specific changes in gaze patterns track explicit and implicit visual learning
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2020.08.03.234039
DO 10.1101/2020.08.03.234039
A1 József Arató
A1 Constantin A. Rothkopf
A1 József Fiser
YR 2020
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/08/03/2020.08.03.234039.abstract
AB What is the link between eye movements and sensory learning? Although some theories have argued for a permanent and automatic interaction between what we know and where we look, which continuously modulates human information- gathering behavior during both implicit and explicit learning, there exist surprisingly little evidence supporting such an ongoing interaction. We used a pure form of implicit learning called visual statistical learning and manipulated the explicitness of the task to explore how learning and eye movements interact. During both implicit exploration and explicit visual learning of unknown composite visual scenes, eye movement patterns systematically changed in accordance with the underlying statistical structure of the scenes. Moreover, the degree of change was directly correlated with the amount of knowledge the observers acquired. Our results provide the first evidence for an ongoing and specific interaction between hitherto accumulated knowledge and eye movements during both implicit and explicit learning.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.