This article concentrates on the human saccadic eye movement and examines its interest for psychologists both as an individual behavioural response and as a component of more complex perceptual behaviour. Research is reviewed which examines single saccades to targets in the visual periphery. This suggests a parallel processing model in which separate processes determine firstly the latency of the saccade and secondly its spatial components. The global effect is described whereby the amplitude of a saccade to an extended peripheral target depends upon the global properties of the target. Experiments show how this may be used to study the interaction of sensory and volitional factors in the production of saccades. Progressing to more complex material, various extra considerations are described relating to saccades produced when scanning sequences of symbols and text. This leads finally to a discussion of saccades when viewing pictorial material.