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Updated: Jun 2, 2026
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Assessing Pupil-linked Changes in Locus Coeruleus-mediated Arousal Elicited by Trigeminal Stimulation
Published on: November 26, 2019
Pupil dilation as a physiological marker of metacognitive processes
Sabrina Lenzoni1, Joshua Horngacher1, Jamie Kofler1
1Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck A-6020, Austria.
Biological Psychology
|May 31, 2026
Summary
Pupil dilation, a marker of noradrenergic activity, reflects metacognitive monitoring across various cognitive tasks. This suggests pupil size can indicate how well we monitor our own cognition.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychophysiology
Background:
- Metacognition is vital for learning and decision-making, but its neural underpinnings are not fully understood.
- The locus coeruleus-noradrenaline system is implicated in post-response monitoring.
- Pupil dilation offers a non-invasive window into noradrenergic system activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if pupil dilation can characterize metacognitive monitoring.
- To examine this across diverse cognitive tasks and domains.
- To explore the link between noradrenergic function and domain-general metacognition.
Main Methods:
- Sixty young adults underwent eye-tracking during cognitive tasks.
- Tasks included mental rotation, visual perception, and working memory.
- Confidence judgments and error awareness were assessed.
Main Results:
- Greater pupil dilation correlated with high confidence judgments in all tested tasks.
- Pupil size was larger following aware errors compared to unaware errors.
- Findings were consistent across mental rotation, visual perception, and working memory.
Conclusions:
- Pupil dilation serves as a reliable psychophysiological marker for metacognitive processes.
- Noradrenergic system activity, reflected by pupil dilation, may support domain-general metacognition.
- This research provides insights into the neurophysiological basis of self-monitoring in cognition.
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