Abstract
Pupil size was measured while 30 male college students undertook five tasks respectively concerning, (a) muscle tension induced by the lifting of weights, (b) fear induced by threat of a gunshot, (c) intense stimulation induced by loud pure tones, (d) heightened attention from viewing novel pictures, and (e) pleasantness and unpleasantness in reaction to pictures that differed in terms of their affect-inducing characteristics. Highly regular relationships were found between pupil size and degree of muscle strain and between pupil size and the temporal ordering of events during threat of a gunshot. Significant effects on pupil size also were found for the other three types of stimulation.
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This study was supported in part by a research grant from the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration, No. RD-1479. Appreciation is expressed to Dr. E. H. Hess and J. M. Polt for numerous forms of help and advice in this experiment.
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Nunnally, J.C., Knott, P.D., Duchnowski, A. et al. Pupillary response as a general measure of activation. Perception & Psychophysics 2, 149–155 (1967). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210310
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210310