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. 2018 Jun;55(6):e13050.
doi: 10.1111/psyp.13050. Epub 2017 Dec 21.

Emotional imagery and pupil diameter

Robert R Henderson  1 , Margaret M Bradley  1 , Peter J Lang  1
Affiliations

Emotional imagery and pupil diameter

Robert R Henderson et al. Psychophysiology. 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Pupil diameter is enhanced in a variety of emotional contexts, including viewing pictures, listening to sounds, and during threat of shock. In this study, we investigated pupil diameter changes during emotional imagery. Participants imagined scenes describing pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral events while pupil diameter was continuously recorded. Second by second changes in pupil diameter were analyzed to determine whether, and when, modulation of the pupil as a function of hedonic content is found. Results indicated a significant effect of hedonic content beginning shortly after script onset, with enhanced pupil diameter when imagining emotional (pleasant or unpleasant), compared to neutral, scenes. Pupil diameter during imagery covaried with rated emotional arousal, consistent with an interpretation that changes in pupil diameter during emotional imagery reflect sympathetic nervous system activity. Because emotional imagery is a key element in clinical assessment and treatment, pupil diameter could prove a useful index of emotional engagement in a variety of clinically pertinent contexts.

Keywords: emotion; eye tracking; imagery; pupillometry.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pupil diameter change (mm) from a 1-s baseline interval during imagery of unpleasant, pleasant, and neutral scenes, averaged over 1 s intervals, shows enhanced pupil diameter for emotionally arousing (pleasant or unpleasant), compared to neutral, scenes. The inset shows pupil data at the acquired 60 Hz sampling rate, and the dotted arrows indicate script onset and offset.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pupil diameter change (mm) following presentation of a light probe consisting of a brief change in screen illumination in the context of imagining either unpleasant, pleasant, or neutral scenes. Pupil diameter is shown deviated from a 1-s pre-probe baseline.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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