Decoupling of the pupillary light response during internal attention: The modulating effect of luminance intensity

Korda, Živa; Walcher, Sonja; Körner, Christof; Benedek, Mathias

doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.104123

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Several studies showed that covert shifts of attention can have beneficial effects similar to eye movements (i.e., overt shifts of attention) on retrieving information associated with spatial locations (Godijn & Theeuwes, 2012;Scholz et al, 2018). In a similar vein, previous studies found that when participants had to perform an eye movement task (smooth pursuit, targetdistractor task, or simply maintain fixation, respectively) in parallel to the visuospatial WM task, and hence internal coupling was restricted, performance was still high (Korda et al, 2023(Korda et al, , 2024Walcher et al, 2023). These findings suggest that eye movements follow internal shifts of attention automatically (Huber & Krist, 2004).…”

Section: Spatial Reference Changes the Characteristics Of Coupled Eye...mentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Based on our internal pilots, we expected medium to large effect sizes. We determined the sample size a priori based on our own previous studies which used similar statistical approaches (i.e., within-subject LMM with more than one within-subject factor; Korda et al, 2023Korda et al, , 2024Walcher et al, 2023) and power analysis using G*power version 3.1 (Faul et al, 2009). Based on our previous studies, we expected medium-sized within-subject effects of dz = 0.4 (Annerer- Walcher et al, 2021).…”

Section: Power Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preprint: How workload and availability of spatial reference shape eye movement coupling in visuospatial working memory

Walcher,

Korda,

Körner

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The eyes are active during memory recall and visual mental imagery. However, the current understanding of the qualities, and factors governing these internally coupled eye movements, particularly in unrestricted gaze conditions, remains limited. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a study with 50 participants to investigate the factors contributing to internal coupling in imagined movements including workload, the availability of visual information, and the direction of imagined movement. We designed a visuospatial working memory task in which participants mentally shifted a black patch in a matrix based on auditory direction cues (up, down, left, right). We varied workload by adjusting matrix size, manipulated availability of visual information by presenting either a blank screen (requiring participants to rely solely on their mental representation of the matrix) or relevant visual information in the form of an empty matrix, and contrasted active task performance to two control conditions involving only active or passive listening. We found that eye movements consistently aligned with the imagined movement of the patch in the matrix and, importantly, this coupling effect was not merely the result of auditory or semantic processing of the direction cues. Intriguingly, while workload influenced pupil diameter, perceived demand, and performance, it had no observable impact on internal coupling. Notably, the availability of visual information, in the form of an empty matrix vs. a blank screen, strengthened the coupling of eye movements. This enhancement manifested through increased frequency, better precision, and reduced vulnerability to noise and horizontal bias in coupled saccades. In summary, our results suggest that eye movements naturally align with imagined movements during visuospatial working memory tasks. This coupling is more efficient when supported by relevant visual information and likely occurs intrinsically, and not just as a strategy to alleviate workload.

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Section: Spatial Reference Changes the Characteristics Of Coupled Eye...mentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Power Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Preprint: How workload and availability of spatial reference shape eye movement coupling in visuospatial working memory

Walcher,

Korda,

Körner

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…For instance, a person might remember the beach they once visited, think of different destinations for their next vacation, or mentally map out the quickest route home. Interestingly, eye behavior was shown to distinguish between external and internal attention focus (Korda et al, 2023(Korda et al, , 2024Walcher et al, 2023a). For example, during periods of internal focus, individuals exhibit increased blink frequency and duration, fewer but longer fixations, and greater variability in pupil diameter (Annerer-Walcher et al, 2018, 2021(Annerer-Walcher et al, 2021;Annerer-Walcher et al, 2018;Hollander & Huette, 2022;Smallwood et al, 2011;Uzzaman & Joordens, 2011).…”

Section: Internal Coupling: Eye Behavior Coupled To Visual Imagerymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recent studies have replicated this finding (e.g., Naber et al, 2011) and implicated further cognitive processes influencing the PLR. For example, internal attention directed towards continuous task performance reduced the PLR to luminance changes of medium but not strong intensity (Korda et al, 2024). Furthermore, extensive research has been done on the effects of covert attention on pupil's size showing that pupil adapts to the brightness of the covertly attended stimulus even in the absence of (overt) eye movements (for reviews see Binda & Murray, 2015;Mathôt & van der Stigchel, 2015).…”

Section: Imagery Of Brightnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Internal Coupling: Eye Behavior Coupled to Visual Imagery

Korda,

Walcher,

Körner

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Our eyes do not only respond to visual perception but also to internal cognition involving visual imagery, which can be referred to as internal coupling. This review synthesizes evidence on internal coupling across diverse domains including episodic memory and simulation, visuospatial memory, numerical cognition, object movement, body movement, and brightness imagery. In each domain, eye movements consistently reflect distinct aspects of mental imagery typically akin to those seen in corresponding visual experiences. Several findings further suggest that internal coupling may not only coincide with but also supports internal cognition as evidenced by improved cognitive performance. Available theoretical accounts suggest that internal coupling may serve at least two functional roles in visual imagery: facilitating memory reconstruction and indicating shifts in internal attention. Moreover, recent insights into the neurobiology of internal coupling highlight substantially shared neural pathways in externally and internally directed cognition. The review concludes by identifying open questions and promising avenues for future research such as exploring moderating roles of context and individual differences in internal coupling.

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“…The authors changed the luminance from a background screen (30.69 Lux) to a medium (32.06 Lux) or strong (41.83 Lux) illumination condition. A decoupling between perceptual processes and the internal attention focus explained the disappearing effect of the amplitude reduction with increasing illumination ( 35 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pain-induced effects on the pupillary light response under high and low illumination conditions

Kursawe,

Ehrlichmann,

Weber

et al. 2024

Front. Neurol.

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ObjectiveThe present study investigated the impact of two different light intensities on the pain-modulated pupillary light response (PLR). Additionally, it aimed to demonstrate parasympathetic and sympathetic influences on PLR parameters in response to pain, as predicted by functional models.MethodA total of 24 participants were included in a randomized, repeated-measures design. The PLR was measured in response to both dark and bright light stimuli within two test cycles. Pain was induced using the cold pressor test (CPT), which involved immersing participants' feet in ice water. PLR measurements were taken during baseline and ice-water immersion within each test cycle. The assessed PLR parameters included initial diameter (INIT), latency (LAT), amplitude (AMP), and re-dilation time (ReDIL25). Along with these parameters, heart rate (HR) and pain ratings were also computed and analyzed.Main resultsThe CPT caused moderate pain in participants, and the resulting PLR parameters were found to be congruent with the expected parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system activities. Although the luminance of the stimulus did influence PLR parameters, no interaction with pain exposure was found.SignificanceThe results showed that different aspects of pain experienced by an individual, as modulated through the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, are visible in their pupillary reactions to light. Notably, within the range used in the current study, light intensity did not significantly affect the pain-related PLR effects.

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Decoupling of the pupillary light response during internal attention: The modulating effect of luminance intensity

Cited by 5 publications

References 73 publications

Preprint: How workload and availability of spatial reference shape eye movement coupling in visuospatial working memory

Preprint: How workload and availability of spatial reference shape eye movement coupling in visuospatial working memory

Internal Coupling: Eye Behavior Coupled to Visual Imagery

Pain-induced effects on the pupillary light response under high and low illumination conditions

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