Sympathetic ANS modulation of pupil diameter in emotional scene perception: Effects of hedonic content, brightness, and contrast
Corresponding Author
Margaret M. Bradley
Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Correspondence Margaret Bradley, Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, P.O. Box 112766, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorRosemarie G. Sapigao
Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Search for more papers by this authorPeter J. Lang
Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Margaret M. Bradley
Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Correspondence Margaret Bradley, Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, P.O. Box 112766, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorRosemarie G. Sapigao
Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Search for more papers by this authorPeter J. Lang
Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Search for more papers by this authorFunding information: NIMH grant MH098078
Abstract
A series of studies investigated the effects of hedonic content, brightness, and contrast on pupil diameter during free viewing of natural scenes, assessing the amplitude of the initial light reflex and subsequent sustained pupil diameter change. Hedonic picture content varied from highly arousing scenes of erotica and violence to scenes depicting nature, babies, loss, contamination, food, and more. Despite equivalent overall picture brightness and contrast, pupil diameter still varied as a function of the local brightness of central vision at fixation. Statistical (Experiment 1) and methodological (Experiment 2, 3) solutions produced complementary data indicating that scenes of erotica and violence reliably attenuate the amplitude of the initial light reflex and prompt enhanced late diameter pupil changes, compared to other scene contents. A principal components analysis supported the hypothesis that a single sympathetically mediated process enhances pupil dilation during picture viewing, modulating both initial constriction and late diameter changes. Rather than being a subtle index of “liking,” pupil diameter is primarily sensitive to events that reliably elicit measurable sympathetic nervous system activity.
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