Veera Ruuskanen, C Nico Boehler, Sebastiaan Mathôt
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Detection of near-threshold stimuli depends on the properties of the stimulus and the state of the observer. In visual detection tasks, improved accuracy is associated with larger prestimulus pupil size. However, it is still unclear whether this association is due to optical effects (more light entering the eye), correlations with arousal, correlations with cortical excitability (as reflected in alpha power), or a mix of these. To better understand this, we investigated the relative contributions of pupil size and power in the alpha, beta, and theta frequency bands on near-threshold detection. We found that larger prestimulus pupil size is associated with improved accuracy and more stimulus-present responses, and these effects were not mediated by spectral power in the EEG. Pupil size was also positively correlated with power in the beta and alpha bands. Taken together, our results show an independent effect of pupil size on detection performance that is not driven by cortical excitability but may be driven by optical effects, physiological arousal, or a mix of both.
期刊介绍:
Founded in 1964, Psychophysiology is the most established journal in the world specifically dedicated to the dissemination of psychophysiological science. The journal continues to play a key role in advancing human neuroscience in its many forms and methodologies (including central and peripheral measures), covering research on the interrelationships between the physiological and psychological aspects of brain and behavior. Typically, studies published in Psychophysiology include psychological independent variables and noninvasive physiological dependent variables (hemodynamic, optical, and electromagnetic brain imaging and/or peripheral measures such as respiratory sinus arrhythmia, electromyography, pupillography, and many others). The majority of studies published in the journal involve human participants, but work using animal models of such phenomena is occasionally published. Psychophysiology welcomes submissions on new theoretical, empirical, and methodological advances in: cognitive, affective, clinical and social neuroscience, psychopathology and psychiatry, health science and behavioral medicine, and biomedical engineering. The journal publishes theoretical papers, evaluative reviews of literature, empirical papers, and methodological papers, with submissions welcome from scientists in any fields mentioned above.