The eye blink and workload considerations

Stern, John A.; Skelly, June J.

doi:10.1037/e574172012-001

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…For example, visual/structural features of the task can influence the pattern of results, as demonstrated by the EBR data from the stimulus presentation and the feedback period. The first feedback trial of a stage requires increased visual processing of the stimuli, and this can explain the decrease in EBR (see Drew, 1951 ; Stern and Skelly, 1984 ). Similarly, the increase of EBR during stimulus presentation after rule shifts was confounded by the fact that the time of the stimulus presentation was not fixed (as it was terminated by the participant’s response).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When EBR is measured under a specific task, both increase and decrease of EBR can be observed, as compared to rest periods. Before and after eye-blinks, visual processing is suppressed ( Manning et al, 1983 ; Stevenson et al, 1986 ), and tasks involving visual attention typically decrease EBR ( Drew, 1951 ; Stern and Skelly, 1984 ). Furthermore, several tasks involving mental effort are associated with within-task EBR changes ( Holland and Tarlow, 1975 ; Bentivoglio et al, 1997 ; De Jong and Merckelbach, 1990 ; Siegle et al, 2008 ; Oh et al, 2012 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physiological Measures of Dopaminergic and Noradrenergic Activity During Attentional Set Shifting and Reversal

et al. 2018

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Dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA) are important neurotransmitters, which are suggested to play a vital role in modulating the neural circuitry involved in the executive control of cognition. One way to investigate the functions of these neurotransmitter systems is to assess physiological indices of DA and NA transmission. Here we examined how variations of spontaneous eye-blink rate and pupil size, as indirect measures of DA and NA activity, respectively, are related to performance in a hallmark aspect of executive control: attentional set shifting. We used the Intra/Extradimensional Set Shifting Task, where participants have to choose between different compound stimuli while the stimulus-reward contingencies change periodically. During such rule shifts, participants have to refresh their attentional set while they reassess which stimulus-features are relevant. We found that both eye-blink rate (EBR) and pupil size increased after rule shifts, when explorative processes are required to establish stimulus–reward contingencies. Furthermore, baseline pupil size was related to performance during the most difficult, extradimensional set shifting stage, whereas baseline EBR was associated with task performance prior to this stage. Our results support a range of neurobiological models suggesting that the activity of DA and NA neurotransmitter systems determines individual differences in executive functions (EF), possibly by regulating neurotransmission in prefrontal circuits. We also suggest that assessing specific, easily accessible indirect physiological markers, such as pupil size and blink rate, contributes to the comprehension of the relationship between neurotransmitter systems and EF.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological Measures of Dopaminergic and Noradrenergic Activity During Attentional Set Shifting and Reversal

et al. 2018

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“…It has been commonly agreed in past research that eyeblink, especially endogenous eyeblink, can provide information about the process involved in attention and response programming and execution ( 29 , 30 ). Many studies have reported that blink frequency decreased significantly when subjects were performing tasks associated with heightened visual attention demands ( 31 , 32 ), and the effects were not restricted to visual task modality only. Some other research also found a decrease in the blink frequency of subjects when they were performing nonvisual tasks such as mental arithmetic, digit span, and auditory tracking ( 33 , 34 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Driver’s Visual Performance in Rear-End Collision Avoidance Process under the Influence of Cell Phone Use

Rakotonirainy

Yan

et al. 2018

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation R

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Rear-end crash is the most common type of on-road traffic crash, and cell phone use contributes to the increase of rear-end crashes. The effects of cell phone use on driving performance have been thoroughly investigated in previous research with various measurements. However, change in driver’s visual performance while using a cell phone in situations with high rear-end risk has not yet been fully understood. This driving simulator study investigated drivers’ eye movement performance in a rear-end collision avoidance maneuver during cell phone conversation. Eye movement data of 36 participants were collected in a car-following scenario featuring imminent rear-end collision. The whole collision avoidance process was divided into four stages for eye movement data analysis, including normal driving stage, brake response stage, deceleration adjusting stage, and speed recovering stage. Results showed that the average pupil size, fixation duration, and dwell time on the leading vehicle increased significantly during the brake response and deceleration adjusting stages. This indicated that the drivers’ cognitive workload increased during these stages. Drivers used blink inhibition and quick saccade as a visual compensation strategy to mitigate the increased workload from cell phone use during the brake response stage. However, in the deceleration adjusting stage, the cell phone use condition led to a lower fixation frequency on the leading vehicle than in the no phone use condition. Professional drivers were found to pay more visual attention to the leading vehicle than non-professional drivers in the normal driving stage.

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“…Interestingly, blinking was also significantly reduced in the EOD condition compared to the EOF condition. Rates of blinking slow with increased task demands and mental engagement, presumably to minimize the risk of missing task-relevant information during eye closure (Drew, 1951;Baumstimler and Parrot, 1971;Stern and Skelly, 1984;Oh et al, 2012). While task demands were not high during these resting state conditions, the reduced rate of blinking in the EOD condition compared to the EOF condition may again reflect a tendency of the visual system to prioritize detection of weak visual input under impoverished visual conditions, consistent with the increase in ␣ peak frequency shown here under conditions of reduced luminance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visual Modulation of Resting State α Oscillations

Webster

2019

eNeuro

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Once thought to simply reflect passive cortical idling, recent studies have demonstrated that ␣ oscillations play a causal role in cognition and perception. However, whether and how cognitive or sensory processes modulate various components of the ␣ rhythm is poorly understood. Sensory input and resting states were manipulated in human subjects while electroencephalography (EEG) activity was recorded in three conditions: eyes-open fixating on a visual stimulus, eyes-open without visual input (darkness), and eyes-closed without visual input (darkness). We show that ␣ power and peak frequency increase when visual input is reduced compared to the eyes open, fixating condition. These results suggest that increases in ␣ power reflect a shift from an exteroceptive to interoceptive state and that increases in peak frequency following restricted visual input (darkness) may reflect increased sampling of the external environment in order to detect stimuli. They further demonstrate how sensory information modulates ␣ and the importance of selecting an appropriate resting condition in studies of ␣.

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The eye blink and workload considerations

Cited by 10 publications

References 0 publications

Physiological Measures of Dopaminergic and Noradrenergic Activity During Attentional Set Shifting and Reversal

Physiological Measures of Dopaminergic and Noradrenergic Activity During Attentional Set Shifting and Reversal

Driver’s Visual Performance in Rear-End Collision Avoidance Process under the Influence of Cell Phone Use

Visual Modulation of Resting State α Oscillations

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