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The Pupillary Orienting Response Predicts Adaptive Behavioral Adjustment after Errors.

Peter R Murphy¹, Marianne L van Moort^1,2, Sander Nieuwenhuis¹

¹Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.

|March 25, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Post-error slowing (PES) may stem from adaptive strategy adjustments, not just cognitive control. Error-evoked orienting responses, measured by pupil dilation, predict behavioral adjustments and improved accuracy on subsequent trials.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Psychology
Human Behavior

Background:

Post-error slowing (PES) is a common phenomenon where reaction time (RT) increases after an error.
Two main theories explain PES: strategic adoption of cognitive control for caution, or interference from error-evoked orienting responses.
The role of orienting responses as a precursor to adaptive behavioral adjustment remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if error-related orienting responses precede adaptive behavioral adjustments after errors.
To reconcile the cognitive control and orienting response accounts of post-error slowing.
To examine the predictive value of orienting responses on subsequent performance.

Main Methods:

Participants performed a choice reaction time (RT) task with extended inter-stimulus intervals.
Pupil dilation, a measure of autonomic orienting, was recorded during task performance.
Trial-by-trial analysis correlated pupil response magnitude with PES and subsequent trial accuracy.

Main Results:

The magnitude of error-evoked pupil dilation positively predicted the degree of post-error slowing.
Larger pupil responses also predicted a higher likelihood of a correct response on the trial following an error.
These findings indicate a link between orienting responses and adaptive behavioral changes.

Conclusions:

Error-related orienting responses, as indicated by pupil dilation, are not merely disruptive but can be precursors to adaptive behavioral adjustments.
The magnitude of the orienting response predicts the effectiveness of post-error strategy changes.
This study supports a reconciliation of orienting and cognitive control theories of post-error slowing.