Abstract:An initial reflexive constriction of the pupil to stimulation – the light reflex – is primarily modulated by brightness, but is attenuated when participants are under threat of shock (e.g. "fear-inhibited light reflex").The present study assessed whether the light reflex is similarly attenuated when viewing emotional pictures. Participants viewed erotic, violent, and neutral scenes that were matched in brightness; as an additional control, scrambled versions identical in brightness were also presented. Compare… Show more
“…In recent studies, we found both attenuation of the initial light reflex and enhanced late pupil diameter when viewing highly arousing pleasant or unpleasant, compared to neutral, pictures during free viewing (Bradley et al, ; Henderson, Bradley, & Lang, ), and in the current study, we presented both emotionally arousing and neutral scenes. In their previous study assessing pupil diameter and emotional memory, Võ et al () reported that recognition of old words prompted larger pupil diameter than new words, regardless of whether words were emotional or neutral.…”
Recent studies have suggested that pupil diameter, like the "old-new" ERP, may be a measure of memory. Because the amplitude of the old-new ERP is enhanced for items encoded in the context of repetitions that are distributed (spaced), compared to massed (contiguous), we investigated whether pupil diameter is similarly sensitive to repetition. Emotional and neutral pictures of natural scenes were viewed once or repeated with massed (contiguous) or distributed (spaced) repetition during incidental free viewing and then tested on an explicit recognition test. Although an old-new difference in pupil diameter was found during successful recognition, pupil diameter was not enhanced for distributed, compared to massed, repetitions during either recognition or initial free viewing. Moreover, whereas a significant old-new difference was found for erotic scenes that had been seen only once during encoding, this difference was absent when erotic scenes were repeated. Taken together, the data suggest that pupil diameter is not a straightforward index of prior occurrence for natural scenes.
“…In recent studies, we found both attenuation of the initial light reflex and enhanced late pupil diameter when viewing highly arousing pleasant or unpleasant, compared to neutral, pictures during free viewing (Bradley et al, ; Henderson, Bradley, & Lang, ), and in the current study, we presented both emotionally arousing and neutral scenes. In their previous study assessing pupil diameter and emotional memory, Võ et al () reported that recognition of old words prompted larger pupil diameter than new words, regardless of whether words were emotional or neutral.…”
Recent studies have suggested that pupil diameter, like the "old-new" ERP, may be a measure of memory. Because the amplitude of the old-new ERP is enhanced for items encoded in the context of repetitions that are distributed (spaced), compared to massed (contiguous), we investigated whether pupil diameter is similarly sensitive to repetition. Emotional and neutral pictures of natural scenes were viewed once or repeated with massed (contiguous) or distributed (spaced) repetition during incidental free viewing and then tested on an explicit recognition test. Although an old-new difference in pupil diameter was found during successful recognition, pupil diameter was not enhanced for distributed, compared to massed, repetitions during either recognition or initial free viewing. Moreover, whereas a significant old-new difference was found for erotic scenes that had been seen only once during encoding, this difference was absent when erotic scenes were repeated. Taken together, the data suggest that pupil diameter is not a straightforward index of prior occurrence for natural scenes.
“…Pupil diameter is modulated by emotional arousal in a number of different contexts, including picture viewing, in which larger changes in pupil diameter are found when viewing highly arousing pleasant or unpleasant, compared to neutral, scenes (Bradley, Miccoli, Escrig, & Lang, 2008; Ferrari et al, 2015; Henderson, Bradley & Lang, 2014, Snowden et al, 2016). Pupil dilation has also been reported when participants listen to pleasant or unpleasant, compared to neutral, sounds (Partala & Surakka, 2003), and when participants anticipate the upcoming presentation of an aversive event.…”
Pupil diameter is enhanced in a variety of emotional contexts, including viewing pictures, listening to sounds, and during threat of shock. In this study, we investigated pupil diameter changes during emotional imagery. Participants imagined scenes describing pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral events while pupil diameter was continuously recorded. Second by second changes in pupil diameter were analyzed to determine whether, and when, modulation of the pupil as a function of hedonic content is found. Results indicated a significant effect of hedonic content beginning shortly after script onset, with enhanced pupil diameter when imagining emotional (pleasant or unpleasant), compared to neutral, scenes. Pupil diameter during imagery covaried with rated emotional arousal, consistent with an interpretation that changes in pupil diameter during emotional imagery reflect sympathetic nervous system activity. Because emotional imagery is a key element in clinical assessment and treatment, pupil diameter could prove a useful index of emotional engagement in a variety of clinically pertinent contexts.
“…The content of the resulting images is no longer recognizable but colour and mean image luminance are retained (for similar approaches, see [1,17]). Figure 1.Example stimuli of dressed, blurred and naked women and men, and the corresponding control images.…”
Dilation of the pupils is an indicator of an observer's sexual interest in other people, but it remains unresolved whether this response is strengthened or diminished by sexually explicit material. To address this question, this study compared pupillary responses of heterosexual men and women to naked and dressed portraits of male and female adult film actors. Pupillary responses corresponded with observers' self-reported sexual orientation, such that dilation occurred during the viewing of opposite-sex people, but were comparable for naked and dressed targets. These findings indicate that pupillary responses provide a sex-specific measure, but are not sensitive to sexually explicit content.
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