Anticipation is defined by the Compact Oxford English
Dictionary as "a noun: the action of anticipating;
expectation or prediction."
Our behaviour consists of actions that follow each other in
an endless stream. Actions can also be executed in
parallel, are often modulated and are open to interruption.
Our eye movements are also actions, and we make
approximately 2-3 of these every second. I am interested in
the way we use gaze (head and eye movements) in the
completion of everyday actions. Specifically, I am
interested in predictive eye movements; how we use them and
when we use them. Prediction allows us to function in ways
that are not always reactive, and I believe that we use
vision predictively to assist and synchronise the complex
actions that contribute to our behaviour. Prediction is
reliant on the use of prior information. I am interested in
the aspects of the visual scene (especially the parts of
the scene relevent to the upcoming task) that are
important for the subsequent control of our actions and for
our perception during actions that follow the
current one.
Obtaining data on predictive eye movements in extended
sequences of behaviour is essential, as studying gaze in
conjunction with an isolated stereotypical action can only
reveal information about the visual strategies that
accompany that particular action. It cannot say much about
the contribution of vision to the next, as yet unperformed,
action.
So far, I have conducted experiments on the role of
expectancy in a visual search task with real 3D objects,
the function of anticipatory "look ahead fixations" in
extended routines, and the nature of anticipatory eye
movements to the bounce points in a ball catching task.
In doing so I hope to explore the integration of visual
information in memory and the role of prediction in
internal preceptual representations. This work is of
relevence to those involved in neuroscience, computer
vision, neuropsychology, visuomotor coordination, active
vision and anyone with an open mind.
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