The hand’s automatic pilot can update visual information while the eye is in motion

When participants reach for a target, their hand can adjust to a change in target position that occurs while their eyes are in motion (the hand’s automatic pilot) even though they are not aware of the target’s displacement (saccadic suppression of perceptual experience). However, previous studies of this effect have displayed the target without interruption, such that the new target position remains visible during the fixation that follows the saccade. Here we test whether a change in target position that begins and ends during the saccade can be used to update aiming movements. We also ask whether such information can be acquired from two targets at a time. The results showed that participants responded to single and double target jumps even when these targets were extinguished prior to saccade termination. The results imply that the hand’s automatic pilot is updated with new visual information even when the eye is in motion.

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