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Pupillometry to Assess Auditory Sensation in Guinea Pigs
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Pupillometry tracks fluctuations in working memory performance.

Matthew K Robison1, Nash Unsworth2

  • 1Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Ave., Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA. matthewkrobison@asu.edu.

Attention, Perception & Psychophysics
|November 10, 2018
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Fluctuations in working memory (WM) performance are linked to pupil diameter changes and self-reported attention lapses. Arousal variability, potentially from the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system, significantly impacts WM capacity and attention control.

Keywords:
AttentionMind-wanderingPupillometryWorking memory

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Working memory (WM) capacity varies significantly between individuals and even within individuals over time.
  • Understanding the physiological and subjective correlates of WM fluctuations is crucial for cognitive enhancement and understanding attention deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between moment-to-moment working memory performance and physiological measures (pupil diameter) and subjective reports of attention.
  • To determine if pupil diameter changes can predict WM success and if off-task states correlate with WM failures.

Main Methods:

  • Three experiments were conducted involving working memory tasks.
  • Pupil diameter (pre-trial and task-evoked) and subjective self-reports of attentional state were recorded.
  • Behavioral performance on WM tasks was analyzed in conjunction with physiological and subjective data.

Main Results:

  • Task-evoked pupillary responses reliably indicated fluctuations in WM maintenance success.
  • Self-reported off-task attentional states were associated with poorer WM performance.
  • Pre-trial pupil diameter variability, but not mean, significantly predicted WM performance, even after controlling for task-evoked responses.

Conclusions:

  • Behavioral, subjective, and physiological data converge, indicating that arousal variability, potentially mediated by the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system, is a key factor in individual differences in working memory capacity and attention control.