Eye-movement patterns in selective listening tasks of focused attention

Abstract

Three experiments are described in which eye movements (Ems) were recorded in conjunction with either monaural or dichotic tasks of focused attention. Two main effects were observed in the Ems records: (1) Listening to auditory messages reduced the occurrence of spontaneous Ems. (2) Selective monitoring of one ear in the dichotic task was accompanied by a consistent pattern of directional Ems characterized by big saccades and long changes of eye fixation in the direction of the relevant ear. The pattern of Ems is affected by the following variables: the presentation rate of the auditory information, the frequency of demands to switch orientation between the ears, and the competition of the irrelevant channel in the dichotic task. It is suggested that the eye-movement mechanism is used in selective listening tasks as a general orientation indicator, when the adoption or maintenance of a certain selective set is difficult and demanding of effort. The Ems response is part of a general orientation pattern, although its usual function is in the field of visual perception. © 1973 Psychonomic Society, Inc.