Transsaccadic memory is the neural process that allows humans to perceive their surroundings as a seamless, unified image despite rapid changes in fixation points. Transsaccadic memory is a relatively new topic of interest in the field of psychology. Conflicting views and theories have spurred several types of experiments intended to explain transsaccadic memory and the neural mechanisms involved. In many situations, human eyes move repeatedly in rapid, discontinuous steps, focusing on a single point for only a short period of time before moving abruptly to the next point. Rapid eye movements of this type are called saccades. If a video camera were to perform such high speed changes in focal points, the image on screen would be disorienting for a human viewer. In contrast, despite the rapidly changing sensory input to the visual system, the normal experience is of a stable visual world; this is an example of perceptual constancy. Transsaccadic memory is a system that helps maintain this stability despite rapid movement of the eyes. Theories Saccade target theory McConkie's and Currie's saccade target theory is similar to research by Schneider who came up with a similar "reference object theory". Both theories hypothesize that each saccade is preceded by processes in the visual system that chose an object as the target for the next fixation point. The object is usually located in peripheral vision. The object's features are stored as a mental representation in transsaccadic memory for identification of future fixations. These target features are searched for by the visual system when the eye lands on its fixation point, and the physical features are compared to the mental representation of the target object. The theory assumes that visual stability is attained when these processes are successful (when the visual stimuli and the mental representation of the target object match). This process occurs before each saccade. Experiments performed by McConkie to support the role of a saccadic target in transsaccadic memory show two things: first, there is a limited peripheral area where a saccadic target exists, and second, attention is vital in recollection of items in the target area. The experiments involved recalling changes to an image that occurred in the peripheral area. Irwin performed similar experiments in which participants recalled letters that occurred near the target area. Due to confounding factors of the controlled environment in the studies, the involvement of saccade target objects is inferred and not established.