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Related Concept Videos

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Perceptual Constancy

Perceptual constancy is the ability to recognize that objects remain consistent and unchanged even when their appearance varies due to changes in sensory input. There are four main types of perceptual constancy: size constancy, shape constancy, color constancy, and brightness constancy.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity
06:46

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Published on: March 18, 2019

Beyond vigilance: A dual-process perspective on visual sustained attention.

Giovanna C Del Sordo1, Megan H Papesh2, Mayte Alonso Carrillo3

  • 1Department of Psychology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA. delsordo@nmsu.edu.

Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience
|May 28, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Sustained attention involves two modes: active processing of changing information and passive monitoring under uncertainty. This dual-mode architecture, revealed through cognitive tasks and pupil responses, reframes our understanding of attention.

Keywords:
ArousalCognitive engagementLocus coeruleus–norepinephrine systemMultiple object trackingPupillometrySustained attentionVigilance

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Last Updated: May 31, 2026

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Sustained attention is often viewed as a single construct, synonymous with vigilance.
  • This perspective overlooks the nuanced ways individuals engage with tasks over time.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether sustained attention comprises distinct active and passive modes of engagement.
  • To differentiate these modes using behavioral performance and pupillometry during a Multiple Object Tracking task.

Main Methods:

  • Participants completed Active-Multiple Object Tracking (A-MOT) and Passive-Multiple Object Tracking (P-MOT) tasks.
  • Behavioral data (accuracy, sensitivity) and pupil diameter were recorded to assess engagement and arousal.
  • Task versions manipulated continuous processing demands versus monitoring readiness under uncertainty.

Main Results:

  • Active-MOT showed lower accuracy and higher sensitivity to difficulty, linked to sustained, load-dependent pupil dilation.
  • Passive-MOT exhibited phasic pupil responses to events, with larger pretrial pupil size indicating heightened anticipatory arousal.
  • Pupil size predicted performance only in A-MOT, suggesting distinct preparatory states.

Conclusions:

  • Sustained attention operates through two separable modes: active, continuous engagement and passive, reactive monitoring.
  • These modes are governed by distinct arousal-control dynamics and preparatory states.
  • This dual-mode architecture highlights flexible coordination of attention rather than a singular capacity for alertness.