Internal selective attention under the micro saccade scope. Talk by Dr Feek van Ede

Selective attention can be directed not only to external sensations, but also to internal representations held within the spatial lay-out of working memory. We have recently uncovered how such internally directed selective attention is associated with directional biases in small eye movements known as microsaccades – extending the role of the oculomotor system to internal orienting of visual attention. In my talk, I will highlight this finding and show how we have started to utilise directional biases in microsaccades for tracking internal attention along three dimensions: to track (1) whether internal attention is deployed, (2) when it is deployed, and (3) where it is deployed. Doing so, I will illustrate how the study of microsaccades can be used to uncover new insights into the principles and mechanisms of internally directed selective visual attention in dynamic and immersive settings.