Causal reasoning guides visual exploration

Exp Brain Res. 2026 Apr 30;244(6):103. doi: 10.1007/s00221-026-07280-3.

ABSTRACT

Humans interpret the visual world by integrating objects with their surrounding context. When this coherence is disrupted, perception may reorganise in search of new meaning. Here, we test whether such reorganisation may be guided by causal reasoning, namely, the ability to infer how one element might act upon another. Tools provide an ideal test case because their design explicitly separates a functional part (what they do) from a manipulable part (how they are used). While the manipulable part enables grasping, the functional part determines the effect the tool produces and the kind of physical interaction it affords with other objects. For instance, the handle of a hammer provides a stable grasp, whereas the striking head transmits impact force, inviting a causal link with another object, such as a nail. Fifty-six participants (34 females; mean age = 23.02 years, SD = 3.31) looked at naturalistic scenes in which tools appeared in incongruent contexts (e.g., a hammer in a cinema), while their eye movements were recorded. Participants rapidly directed their gaze to the functional part of the tool before expanding to the broader scene. Fixations then shifted systematically from the functional component toward contextual regions that could plausibly interact with the tool. By contrast, evidence that the manipulable part guided exploration in this way was weaker, and once gaze left the tool, it was less likely to return to it. These findings suggest that visual exploration is shaped by meaning and may reflect an implicit drive to impose causal structure on perception.

PMID:42060131 | DOI:10.1007/s00221-026-07280-3