Predicting Where to Look, Choosing What Kind of Data You Want

Humans are keen to predict interesting sources of visual input. There's a skill to casting our gaze in the right direction at just the right time to capture the most useful data. But this isn't just about the target. It is about the quality of vision you want—cones with their color and precision, or rods for movement or poor lighting? If you want the cones, swivel your eyes so that you are directing them right at the target, where you think the interesting stuff is about to happen. That way the blast of data will fall most directly onto the cones that lie straight back in the eye. Want a more panoramic approach? Then catch it 'out of the corner of your eye' so that the light is being perceived more from the rods spread more evenly through the inside of your eyeball—and don't swivel your gaze right onto the thing you are interested in. Go for the big picture.