ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors show that the automatic mechanism forms only the lowest part of a hierarchial control organization. The control of eye movements has been the object of research for more than 100 years. Engineers, psychologists, neurophysiologists, and others have been attempting to understand the underlying mechanism of this control. In order to control eye movements, the brain apparently chooses a very versatile organization. The lower mechanism of this organization is formed by two branches, the saccadic and the slow movement control. Those two branches exchange information. Which of them gets the priority is decided on a higher level. Even higher centers analyze the regularity of the input signal and use it to give a forecast of its future movements. Those higher centers are able, when needed, to put out of function all the others and directly command eye movements.
