Gaze direction. 1. An acronym for "conjugate lateral eye movement." 2. A nonverbal response, often to a verbal question, in which the eyes move sideward (to the right or left) in tandem.
Usage: CLEMs--involuntary eye movements to the right or left--signal information processing, reflection, and thought. Because they reflect unvoiced doubt, as well, CLEMs may used as probing points.
Saccades. In a classic study by Harnad (1972) of the lateral eye movements of mathematicians during mental reflection, it was noted that rightward movement associated with symbolic thinking, while leftward movement associated with visual thinking. Left-movers were thought to be more creative.
RESEARCH REPORTS: 1. Conjugate lateral eye movements are an index of brain-hemispheric activation (Gur 1975). 2 "People can be categorized as either 'right lookers' or 'left lookers' because approximately 75 percent of an individual's conjugatelateral eye movements are in one direction" (Richmond et al. 1991:89). 2. "CLEM is usually quite prominent when someone is working on a task that requires them [sic] to think or reflect" (Richmond et al. 1991:89).