scholarly journals How the motor aspect of speaking influences the blink rate

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0258322
Author(s):  
Mareike Brych ◽  
Supriya Murali ◽  
Barbara Händel
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Visual Stimulation ◽  
Social Influences ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Auditory Input ◽  
Cognitive Demands ◽  
Facial Movements ◽  
Patient Interviews ◽  
Motor Activities ◽  
Tongue Movements

The blink rate increases if a person indulges in a conversation compared to quiet rest. Since various factors were suggested to explain this increase, the present series of studies tested the influence of different motor activities, cognitive processes and auditory input on the blink behavior but at the same time minimized visual stimulation as well as social influences. Our results suggest that neither cognitive demands without verbalization, nor isolated lip, jaw or tongue movements, nor auditory input during vocalization or listening influence our blinking behavior. In three experiments, we provide evidence that complex facial movements during unvoiced speaking are the driving factors that increase blinking. If the complexity of the motor output increased such as during the verbalization of speech, the blink rate rose even more. Similarly, complex facial movements without cognitive demands, such as sucking on a lollipop, increased the blink rate. Such purely motor-related influences on blinking advise caution particularly when using blink rates assessed during patient interviews as a neurological indicator.

scholarly journals How the Motor Aspect of Speaking Influences the Blink Rate

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mareike Brych ◽  
Supriya Murali ◽  
Barbara Händel
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Motor Activity ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Auditory Input ◽  
Jaw Movements ◽  
Patient Interviews ◽  
Minor Influence ◽  
A Minor

AbstractThe blink rate increases if a person indulges in a conversation compared to quiet rest. Since various factors were suggested to explain this increase, the present study tested the influence of motor activity, cognitive processes and auditory input on the blink rate but at the same time excluding any social interaction. While the cognitive and auditory factors only showed a minor influence, mere mouth movements during speaking highly increased the blink rate. Even more specific, lip movements, but less jaw movements, are likely responsible for the increase during a conversation. Such purely motor related influences on the blink rate advise caution when using blinks as neurological indicators during patient interviews.

Telemetric Monitoring of the Reflex Blink Rate

1968 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 303-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara L. Drinkwater ◽  
M. Marilyn Flint
Keyword(s):  
Action Potentials ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Muscle Action ◽  
Facial Movements ◽  
Reflex Blink ◽  
Reliability Coefficients

A technique for using telemetry to transmit the muscle action potentials of the eyeblink to a biological recorder is described in detail. Samples of oscillograph recordings are included to illustrate the patterns obtained from a variety of facial movements. Considering the high objectivity and reliability coefficients obtained, this procedure is recommended to those interested in using the blink rate as an experimental variable.

scholarly journals Spontaneous eye blink rate predicts individual differences in exploration and exploitation during reinforcement learning

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne C. Van Slooten ◽  
Sara Jahfari ◽  
Jan Theeuwesu
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Negative Outcomes ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Successful Performance ◽  
Eye Blink ◽  
Mixture Modelling

AbstractSpontaneous eye blink rate (sEBR) has been linked to striatal dopamine function and to how individuals make value-based choices after a period of reinforcement learning (RL). While sEBR is thought to reflect how individuals learn from the negative outcomes of their choices, this idea has not been tested explicitly. This study assessed how individual differences in sEBR relate to learning by focusing on the cognitive processes that drive RL. Using Bayesian latent mixture modelling to quantify the mapping between RL behaviour and its underlying cognitive processes, we were able to differentiate low and high sEBR individuals at the level of these cognitive processes. Further inspection of these cognitive processes indicated that sEBR uniquely indexed explore-exploit tendencies during RL: lower sEBR predicted exploitative choices for high valued options, whereas higher sEBR predicted exploration of lower value options. This relationship was additionally supported by a network analysis where, notably, no link was observed between sEBR and how individuals learned from negative outcomes. Our findings challenge the notion that sEBR predicts learning from negative outcomes during RL, and suggest that sEBR predicts individual explore-exploit tendencies. These then influence value sensitivity during choices to support successful performance when facing uncertain reward.

scholarly journals Cognitive and Behavioral Correlates of Achievement in a Complex Multi-Player Video Game

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 198-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam M. Large ◽  
Benoit Bediou ◽  
Sezen Cekic ◽  
Yuval Hart ◽  
Daphne Bavelier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Cognitive Demands ◽  
Behavioral Correlates ◽  
Action Video Game ◽  
The Past ◽  
League Of Legends

Over the past 30 years, a large body of research has accrued demonstrating that video games are capable of placing substantial demands on the human cognitive, emotional, physical, and social processing systems. Within the cognitive realm, playing games belonging to one particular genre, known as the action video game genre, has been consistently linked with demands on a host of cognitive abilities including perception, top-down attention, multitasking, and spatial cognition. More recently, a number of new game genres have emerged that, while different in many ways from “traditional” action games, nonetheless seem likely to load upon similar cognitive processes. One such example is the multiplayer online battle arena genre (MOBA), which involves a mix of action and real-time strategy characteristics. Here, a sample of over 500 players of the MOBA game League of Legends completed a large battery of cognitive tasks. Positive associations were observed between League of Legends performance (quantified by participants’ in-game match-making rating) and a number of cognitive abilities consistent with those observed in the existing action video game literature, including speed of processing and attentional abilities. Together, our results document a rich pattern of cognitive abilities associated with high levels of League of Legends performance and suggest similarities between MOBAs and action video games in terms of their cognitive demands.

Blinking and Thinking

1975 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 403-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morris K. Holland ◽  
Gerald Tarlow
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Perceptual System ◽  
Visual Input ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Mental Load ◽  
Visual Imagination ◽  
Cognitive Activities ◽  
Blackout Period ◽  
Operational Memory

Blinking is related to certain cognitive processes. For example, individuals “punctuate” their speech by blinking between phrases and at the end of sentences. Daydreaming is associated with low rates of blinking. Blinking occurs between fixations and may be timed so as not to interfere with significant visual input. Apparently, blinking occurs at transitions between internal events and is inhibited at other times. In the experiment reported here, blinking was measured while the activity of operational memory was manipulated with mental load kept constant. The rate of blinking was significantly reduced when the cognitive operation of internal counting was being performed. It is inferred that the blink rate is low when information in memory is being operated on. To suspend blinking during certain cognitive activities would be adaptive if blinking disrupts them. Since the blackout period of the blink produces a rapid change in visual level, blinking disrupts those cognitive processes utilizing display areas accessible to visual input. Operational memory and the visual imagination may share components with the visual perceptual system. To protect these vulnerable processes from interference, blinking may be inhibited when they are active.

The Development of Cognitive Analysis Methods to Aid Interface Design

1998 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ephimia Morphew ◽  
Marvin L. Thordsen ◽  
Gary Klein
Keyword(s):  
Complex Systems ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Interface Design ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Technological Systems ◽  
Cognitive Demands ◽  
Complex Technology

The goal of any human factors implementation is to optimize the interface between technological systems and the humans operating within them. As technological systems continue to grow in capability and complexity, knowledge of how performers operate within these systems has become more deeply embedded within the system and in the head of the operator. In high-technology, high-complexity systems used in military, nuclear power, air traffic control, and aerospace operations, demands imposed by the system interface are predominantly cognitive in nature. Techniques for uncovering the cognitive demands associated with operating these complex systems have become increasingly necessary for understanding, predicting, and optimizing human performance within them. This paper illustrates how the application of Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) and Decision-Centered Design techniques can be used to uncover and aid the cognitive processes involved with operating complex systems, and in turn, enhance human performance in complex systems. The design of a prototype display for Landing Signal Officers aboard U.S. aircraft carriers will illustrate the application of these methods. The utility of these principles, however, can be applied to any domain or environment in which humans must interface with complex technology.

scholarly journals Intra-subject consistency of spontaneous eye blink rate in young women across the menstrual cycle

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Esmeralda Hidalgo-Lopez ◽  
Georg Zimmermann ◽  
Belinda Pletzer
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Eye Blink ◽  
Individual Consistency ◽  
Estradiol Levels

Abstract The spontaneous eye blink rate (EBR) has been linked to different cognitive processes and neurobiological factors. It has also been proposed as a putative index for striatal dopaminergic function. While estradiol is well-known to increase dopamine levels through multiple mechanisms, no study up to date has investigated whether the EBR changes across the menstrual cycle. This question is imperative however, as women have sometimes been excluded from studies using the EBR due to potential effects of their hormonal profile. Fifty-four women were tested for spontaneous EBR at rest in three different phases of their menstrual cycle: during menses (low progesterone and estradiol), in the pre-ovulatory phase (when estradiol levels peak and progesterone is still low), and during the luteal phase (high progesterone and estradiol). No significant differences were observed across the menstrual cycle and Bayes factors show strong support for the null hypothesis. Instead, we observed high intra-individual consistency of the EBR in our female sample. Accordingly, we strongly encourage including female participants in EBR studies, regardless of their cycle phase.

scholarly journals Tracking Real-Time Changes in Working Memory Updating and Gating with the Event-Based Eye-Blink Rate

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Rac-Lubashevsky ◽  
Heleen A. Slagter ◽  
Yoav Kessler
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Striatal Dopamine ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Eye Blink ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Working Memory Updating ◽  
Time Changes ◽  
Event Based ◽  
Gating Process

AbstractEffective working memory (WM) functioning depends on the gating process that regulates the balance between maintenance and updating of WM. The present study used the event-based eye-blink rate (ebEBR), which presumably reflects phasic striatal dopamine activity, to examine how the cognitive processes of gating and updating separately facilitate flexible updating of WM contents and the potential involvement of dopamine in these processes. Realtime changes in eye blinks were tracked during performance on the reference-back task, in which demands on these two processes were independently manipulated. In all three experiments, trials that required WM updating and trials that required gate switching were both associated with increased ebEBR. These results may support the prefrontal cortex basal ganglia WM model (PBWM) by linking updating and gating to striatal dopaminergic activity. In Experiment 3, the ebEBR was used to determine what triggers gate switching. We found that switching to an updating mode (gate opening) was more stimulus driven and retroactive than switching to a maintenance mode, which was more context driven. Together, these findings show that the ebEBR – an inexpensive, non-invasive, easy-to-use measure – can be used to track changes in WM demands during task performance and, hence, possibly striatal dopamine activity.

scholarly journals Spontaneous eye blink rate predicts individual differences in exploration and exploitation during reinforcement learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne C. Van Slooten ◽  
Sara Jahfari ◽  
Jan Theeuwes
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Negative Outcomes ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Successful Performance ◽  
Eye Blink ◽  
Mixture Modelling

AbstractSpontaneous eye blink rate (sEBR) has been linked to striatal dopamine function and to how individuals make value-based choices after a period of reinforcement learning (RL). While sEBR is thought to reflect how individuals learn from the negative outcomes of their choices, this idea has not been tested explicitly. This study assessed how individual differences in sEBR relate to learning by focusing on the cognitive processes that drive RL. Using Bayesian latent mixture modelling to quantify the mapping between RL behaviour and its underlying cognitive processes, we were able to differentiate low and high sEBR individuals at the level of these cognitive processes. Further inspection of these cognitive processes indicated that sEBR uniquely indexed explore-exploit tendencies during RL: lower sEBR predicted exploitative choices for high valued options, whereas higher sEBR predicted exploration of lower value options. This relationship was additionally supported by a network analysis where, notably, no link was observed between sEBR and how individuals learned from negative outcomes. Our findings challenge the notion that sEBR predicts learning from negative outcomes during RL, and suggest that sEBR predicts individual explore-exploit tendencies. These then influence value sensitivity during choices to support successful performance when facing uncertain reward.

A comparison of workload demands imposed by different types of distracted walking tasks and its effect on gait

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 1713-1717
Author(s):  
Haolan Zheng ◽  
Yue Luo ◽  
Boyi Hu ◽  
Wayne C.W. Giang
Keyword(s):  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Preliminary Analysis ◽  
Safety Concern ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Cognitive Demands ◽  
Gait Performance ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Nasa Tlx

A growing body of research has found that distracted walking is a safety concern due to reduced situation awareness and the possibility of compromised gait performance. Distraction tasks, such as texting, browsing social media, and playing games, differ in terms of their physical and cognitive demands. However, few studies have examined whether there are differences in how physical and cognitive demands impact gait. The goal of this paper is to evaluate workload differences between four distraction tasks that represent common smartphone functions and may differ in terms of physical and cognitive demands: 1) No distraction, 2) Reading, 3) Tapping, 4) N-Back. We characterized the workload differences using three methods, a subjective workload assessment (NASA-TLX) and two physiological workload measures, pupil width and blink rate. Our results suggest that the chosen distraction tasks differ in their workload demands. While, a preliminary analysis of descriptive gait parameters failed to find significant differences between the distraction conditions, further analysis of more complex gait measures may be required to understand differences between physical and cognitive demands.

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