Abstract
A visual distractor located contralateral to a target stimulus or within central vision influences the planning times of stimulus-driven prosaccades (i.e., the remote distractor effect; RDE). Some evidence suggests that the RDE arises from the retinotopic organization of the motor map in the superior colliculus and the competition between stimulus-specific saccade neuron populations. To date however, research has not addressed whether the RDE influences the programming of antisaccades. Indeed, such an issue represents an important area of inquiry because it provides a basis for determining whether the RDE manifests as a function of the spatial properties of a stimulus or the location of a required response. As such, the present investigation had participants complete pro- and antisaccades to briefly presented (i.e., 50 ms) proximal (4°) and distal (8°) target stimuli (i.e., ‘x’) located left and right of central fixation. Importantly, pro- and antisaccades were performed in conditions wherein a distractor (i.e., ‘o’) concurrently appeared at central fixation, or contralateral, or ipsilateral to the target stimulus. As well, pro- and antisaccades were performed in a distractor-free condition. In line with previous work, prosaccade reaction times (RT) were longer when a distractor was located contralateral to a target stimulus or within central vision. In contrast, antisaccade RTs were increased regardless of the spatial location of the distractor. Thus, results suggest that the top-down control of antisaccades results in a location-independent integration of the relational properties of a target and distractor and that the spatial properties of a stimulus influence extant planning times.Acknowledgments: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; Major Academic Development Fund from the University of Western Ontario