Saccadic eye movements and perceptual judgments reveal a shared visual representation that is increasingly accurate over time

Although there is evidence to suggest visual illusions affect perceptual judgments more than actions, many studies have failed to detect task-dependant dissociations. In two experiments we attempt to resolve the contradiction by exploring the time-course of visual illusion effects on both saccadic eye movements and perceptual judgments, using the Judd illusion. The results showed that, regardless of whether a saccadic response or a perceptual judgement was made, the illusory bias was larger when responses were based on less information, that is, when saccadic latencies were short, or display duration was brief. The time-course of the effect was similar for both the saccadic responses and perceptual judgements, suggesting that both modes may be driven by a shared visual representation. Changes in the strength of the illusion over time also highlight the importance of controlling for the latency of different response systems when evaluating possible dissociations between them.

Research highlights
► The effects of visual illusions on saccadic eye movements and perceptual judgments reveal a similar time-course.
► Saccade execution and perception rely on a shared representation.
► The illusory bias is larger when responses are based on less information.
► When making comparisons across different modalities it is important to control for the response latency of different response systems.