Abstract

To perceive, sense organs actively sample the environment-for example, by touching, sniffing, or moving the eyes. Visual sampling persists even when gaze is fixed on a single point: involuntary microsaccades continuously move the eye in small jumps. We investigated a previously documented observation that microsaccades prevent illusory fading of perceived visual boundaries during fixation. We discovered that despite being connected, microsaccades and fading are sensitive to different stimulus features. Boundaries separating surfaces with more distinct colors inherently took longer to fade. Boundaries closer to the center of vision also took longer to fade, but only because microsaccades were more effective. These findings reveal new insight into how pervasive sensory sampling delivers a stable and detailed perceptual experience.

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