Psychology Wiki  Eye fixation  34,142pages on this wiki Revision
as of 10:31, June 20, 2013 by Dr Joe Kiff (Talk | contribs)
Eye fixation or visual fixation is the maintaining of the visual
gaze on a single location. Humans (and other animals with a
fovea) typically alternate saccades and visual fixations, the
notable exception being in smooth pursuit, controlled by a
different neural substrate that appear to have developed for
hunting prey. There are three categories of fixational eye
movements: microsaccades, ocular drifts, and ocular microtremor.
Fixational eye movement has been found in a number of species,
including humans, other primates, cats, rabbits, turtles,
salamanders, owls. Although their existence has been known since
the 1950s, the role and importance of fixational eye movement is
still debated.  Reading involves fixating on a successive
locations across the page or screen. Visual fixation is never
perfectly steady: fixational eye movement occurs involuntarily.
The term "fixation" can also