Pupil-size asymmetry is a physiologic trait related to gender, attentional function, and personality

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 654-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
William D. Poynter
Keyword(s):  
Pupil Size ◽  
Attentional Function ◽  
Size Asymmetry

scholarly journals Coupling between Trigeminal-Induced Asymmetries in Locus Coeruleus Activity and Cognitive Performance

Symmetry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1676
Author(s):  
Maria Paola Tramonti Tramonti Fantozzi ◽  
Ottavia Marconi ◽  
Federica Simoni ◽  
Vincenzo De De Cicco ◽  
Davide De De Cicco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Locus Coeruleus ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Cortical Excitability ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Performance Task ◽  
The Asymmetry ◽  
Spontaneous Fluctuations ◽  
Size Asymmetry ◽  
Average Pupil

In humans, the asymmetry in the masseter electromyographic (EMG) activity during clenching is positively correlated with the degree of pupil size asymmetry (anisocoria) at rest. Anisocoria reveals an asymmetry in LC activity, which may lead to an imbalance in cortical excitability, detrimental to performance. Hereby, we investigated, in individual subjects, the possibility that occlusal correction, which decreases EMG asymmetry, improves performance by balancing LC activity. Cognitive performance, task-related mydriasis, and pupil size at rest were modified by changing the occlusal condition. Occlusal-related changes in performance and mydriasis were negatively correlated with anisocoria changes in only 12/20 subjects. Within this population, spontaneous fluctuations in mydriasis and anisocoria also appeared negatively coupled. Occlusal-related changes in performance and mydriasis were negatively correlated with those in average pupil size (a proxy of average LC activity) in 19/20 subjects. The strongest association was observed for the pupil changes occurring on the side with higher EMG activity during clenching. These findings indicate that the effects of occlusal conditions on cognitive performance were coupled to changes in the asymmetry of LC activity in about half of the subjects, while they were related to changes in the average tonic LC activity in virtually all of them.

How Socially Relevant Visual Characteristics of Avatars Influence Impression Formation

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Weibel ◽  
Daniel Stricker ◽  
Bartholomäus Wissmath ◽  
Fred W. Mast
Keyword(s):  
Impression Formation ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Conscious Perception ◽  
Viewing Angle ◽  
Frontal View ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
First Impression ◽  
Visual Characteristics ◽  
Socially Relevant ◽  
Blink Frequency

Like in the real world, the first impression a person leaves in a computer-mediated environment depends on his or her online appearance. The present study manipulates an avatar’s pupil size, eyeblink frequency, and the viewing angle to investigate whether nonverbal visual characteristics are responsible for the impression made. We assessed how participants (N = 56) evaluate these avatars in terms of different attributes. The findings show that avatars with large pupils and slow eye blink frequency are perceived as more sociable and more attractive. Compared to avatars seen in full frontal view or from above, avatars seen from below were rated as most sociable, self-confident, and attractive. Moreover, avatars’ pupil size and eyeblink frequency escape the viewer’s conscious perception but still influence how people evaluate them. The findings have wide-ranging applied implications for avatar design.

scholarly journals Biobehavioral Mechanisms of Mindfulness as a Treatment for Chronic Stress: An RDoC Perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 247054701771191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric L. Garland ◽  
Adam W. Hanley ◽  
Anne K. Baker ◽  
Matthew O. Howard
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Treatment Development ◽  
Attentional Function ◽  
Regulatory Strategies ◽  
The Face ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Mechanisms Of Mindfulness

Mindfulness-based interventions have been heralded as promising means of alleviating chronic stress. While meta-analyses indicate that mindfulness-based interventions significantly reduce global measures of stress, how mindfulness-based interventions modulate the specific mechanisms underpinning chronic stress as operationalized by the National Institute of Mental Health research domain criteria (RDoC) of sustained threat has not yet been detailed in the literature. To address this knowledge gap, this article aims to (1) review evidence that mindfulness-based interventions ameliorate each of the 10 elements of behavioral dysregulation characterizing sustained threat via an array of mindful counter-regulatory strategies; (2) review evidence that mindfulness-based interventions modify biological domains implicated in sustained threat, such as the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, as well as brain circuits involved in attentional function, limbic reactivity, habit behavior, and the default mode network; and (3) integrate these findings into a novel conceptual framework of mindful self-regulation in the face of stress—the Mindfulness-to-Meaning Theory. Taken together, the extant body of scientific evidence suggests that the practice of mindfulness enhances a range biobehavioral factors implicated in adaptive stress coping and induces self-referential plasticity, leading to the ability to find meaning in adversity. These mechanistic findings can inform the treatment development process to optimize the next generation of mindfulness-based interventions for greater therapeutic efficacy.

scholarly journals Listener’s personality traits predict changes in pupil size during auditory language comprehension

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabell Hubert Lyall ◽  
Juhani Järvikivi
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Language Comprehension ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Pupil Dilation ◽  
Systematic Research ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Personality Profiles ◽  
Pupillary Responses ◽  
Grammatical Errors

AbstractResearch suggests that listeners’ comprehension of spoken language is concurrently affected by linguistic and non-linguistic factors, including individual difference factors. However, there is no systematic research on whether general personality traits affect language processing. We correlated 88 native English-speaking participants’ Big-5 traits with their pupillary responses to spoken sentences that included grammatical errors, "He frequently have burgers for dinner"; semantic anomalies, "Dogs sometimes chase teas"; and statements incongruent with gender stereotyped expectations, such as "I sometimes buy my bras at Hudson's Bay", spoken by a male speaker. Generalized additive mixed models showed that the listener's Openness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism traits modulated resource allocation to the three different types of unexpected stimuli. No personality trait affected changes in pupil size across the board: less open participants showed greater pupil dilation when processing sentences with grammatical errors; and more introverted listeners showed greater pupil dilation in response to both semantic anomalies and socio-cultural clashes. Our study is the first one demonstrating that personality traits systematically modulate listeners’ online language processing. Our results suggest that individuals with different personality profiles exhibit different patterns of the allocation of cognitive resources during real-time language comprehension.

Visual acuity as a reinforcement in learning to control pupil size

1962 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 428-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clark J. Bailey ◽  
Lloyd Guth
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Pupil Size

scholarly journals Coordination effort in joint action is reflected in pupil size

2021 ◽  
Vol 215 ◽  
pp. 103291
Author(s):  
Basil Wahn ◽  
Veera Ruuskanen ◽  
Alan Kingstone ◽  
Sebastiaan Mathôt
Keyword(s):  
Joint Action ◽  
Pupil Size
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