The global effect: what determines where the eyes land?

Abstract

In certain situations, the endpoint of an eye movement is not positioned on the centre of a target element, but deviates in the direction of another element. This phenomenon has been termed 'the global effect' and has proven to constitute a valuable measure of various processes that control and influence our oculomotor behavior. The goal of the current review is to provide insight in the factors that determine where the eyes land. We will focus on the fundamental characteristics of the global effect and discuss the various domains in which the global effect has been applied. The global effect appears to be best explained in terms of a weighted average of activity in a saccade map.