This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: When did you last blink? Every few seconds, we briefly close our eyes, interrupting our view of the world.
Most of the time, we do not notice. What is more, these brief interruptions hardly seem to interfere with our everyday activities. Researchers at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) and the University of Texas at Austin (U.S.) have identified a strategy that could explain this: People preferentially blink during head movements—when visual information is already less reliable and less important.
The study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Blinking keeps the surface of the eyes moist and thus helps us see clearly. However, this comes at a cost: Estimates suggest that blinking leaves our eyes closed for up to 10% of our waking time.
Previous studies under controlled laboratory conditions have shown that people can adjust the timing of their blinks to the demands of an experimental task. Much less was known about how we time our blinks in everyday life, when our eyes and head can move freely. Alexander Göttker from the General Psychology research group at JLU and professor Mary Hayhoe, Ph.D. (University of Texas at Austin), analyzed the behavior of more than 80 participants performing two complex, everyday tasks.
Participants built models from building blocks or copied pictures using colored pencils. Their gaze repeatedly shifted between the building instructions or reference picture and their own work. They were free to move their eyes and head and complete the tasks at their own pace.
Modern mobile recording technology and computer-based image analysis make it possible to precisely capture and quantitatively describe behavior even during such complex activities. Across the two tasks, the researchers recorded more than 38,000 spontaneous blinks. The detailed analysis revealed a striking pattern: The faster the head moved, the more likely participants were to blink.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
