Micro eye movements and working memory
The processes by which we select, rehearse, and transform information ‘in mind’ serve foundational roles across perception, action, and learning—but these working-memory processes are not trivial to access experimentally.
Recent studies have uncovered how latent working-memory processes ‘leak’ into observable biases in micro movements of the body, particularly micro eye movements known as microsaccades.
In turn, micro eye movements can be leveraged to ‘track’ internal working memory processes from the outside, with unique benefits that complement traditional brain-imaging approaches.
Biases in micro eye movements are comparatively easy to access, can be studied in freely moving participants, are time-resolved and spatially indexed, and offer a surprisingly robust marker of internal visual focusing in working memory.
https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613(26)00128-2
