  Participants in an eye-movement experiment performed a modified version of
the Landolt-C paradigm (Williams & Pollatsek, 2007) in which they searched for
target squares embedded in linear arrays of spatially contiguous "words" (i.e.,
short sequences of squares having missing segments of variable size and
orientation). Although the distributions of single- and first-of-multiple
fixation locations replicated previous patterns suggesting saccade targeting
(e.g., Yan, Kliegl, Richter, Nuthmann, & Shu, 2010), the distribution of all
forward fixation locations was uniform, suggesting the absence of specific
saccade targets. Furthermore, properties of the "words" (e.g., gap size) also
influenced fixation durations and forward saccade length, suggesting that
on-going processing affects decisions about when and where (i.e., how far) to
move the eyes. The theoretical implications of these results for existing and
future accounts of eye-movement control are discussed.
