Predictive remapping of visual features beyond saccadic targets

Abstract

Visual stability is thought to be mediated by predictive remapping of the relevant object information from its current, presaccadic location to its future, postsaccadic location on the retina. However, it is heavily debated whether and what feature information is predictively remapped during the presaccadic interval. Here we examined the spatial and featural properties of predictive remapping in a set of three psychophysical studies. We made use of an orientation-adaptation paradigm, in which we induced a tilt aftereffect by prolonged exposure to an oriented adaptor stimulus. Following this adaptation phase, a test stimulus was presented shortly before saccade onset. We found strong evidence for predictive remapping of the features of this test stimulus presented shortly before saccade onset, evidenced by a large tilt aftereffect elicited when the adaptor was positioned at the postsaccadic retinal location of the test stimulus. Conversely, the adaptation state itself, caused by the exposure to the adaptor stimulus, was not predictively remapped. Furthermore, we establish that predictive remapping also occurs for stimuli that are not saccade targets, pointing toward a forward remapping process operating across the whole visual field. Together, our findings suggest that predictive feature remapping of object information plays an important role in mediating visual stability.