The Quiet Eye in life or death situations

February 8, 2012

By Don McSwiney

Kinesiology researcher, Joan Vickers, found significant differences in the ability of veteran and rookie officers to detect critical information under extreme stress. Photo by Riley BrandtKinesiology researcher Joan Vickers and renowned police psychologist Bill Lewinski have found that elite shooters under extreme pressure consistently make the best decisions in life or death situations, in large part, because of where they focus their eyes and attention.

Vickers is internationally recognized for discovering the “Quiet Eye”—the precise location where an individual fixes their gaze before executing a critical movement—that has been studied in activities including hockey, biathlon, surgery and now police shooting.

In a study published in The Journal of Human Movement, Vickers compared the reactions of veteran police officers and less experienced officers in a large city where SWAT officers are known for dealing effectively with street violence and terrorist attacks.

Using Vicker’s eye tracking technology, which shows exactly where and for how long an individual focuses their gaze, the researchers had someone move suddenly from behind a desk and brandish a gun, or a cell phone. The officer has to decide whether to shoot.

Sixty-five per cent of the rookie officers shot the "assailant" during the cell phone trials compared to just 18 per cent of the veteran officers, suggesting significant differences in their ability to detect critical information under extreme stress. The rookies shooting accuracy was also low, 54 per cent compared to 75 per cent for elite officers.

When Vickers analyzed how long it took each group to draw, aim and fire there were no significant differences—suggesting the primary limitation was not in their physical ability to handle the weapon but in their cognitive ability to maintain focus and concentration.

During the final 700 milliseconds, when the rookies should have maintained a long duration quiet eye on the assailant before firing, they looked down to the sights of their gun and fired before they had regained sight of the assailant. The elite shooters kept their gaze on the assailant and brought their gun sites into their line of vision.

Vicker’s findings supported her earlier research, done with Olympic caliber shooters in Biathlon who use a similar shooting strategy. Calgary Police Services officer Darren Leggatt saw that research and thought CPS training could benefit.

“The need for fast and accurate shooting under these extreme physical conditions is conceptually the same as what happens in law enforcement,” says Leggatt. “To be honest, we were kind of slapping ourselves that we didn't immediately realize these studies were happening in our own back yard!"