Seeking one's heading through eye movements

A study of eye movements during simulated travel toward a grove of four sta tionary trees revealed that observers looked most at pairs of trees that co nverged or decelerated apart. Such pairs specify that one's direction of tr avel, called heading, is to the outside of the near member of the pair. Obs ervers looked at these trees more than those that accelerated apart; such p airs do not offer trustworthy heading information. Observers also looked at gaps between trees less often when they converged or diverged apart, and h eading can never be between such pairs. Heading responses were in accord wi th eye movements. In general, if observers responded accurately, they had l ooked at trees that converged or decelerated apart; if they were inaccurate , they had not. Results support the notion that observers seek out their he ading through eye movements, saccading to and fixating on the most informat ive locations in the field of view.