Inconclusive evidence suggests that the pupil is more dilated when the breadth of attention is broad compared to narrow. To further investigate this relationship, we recorded pupil size from healthy volunteers while inducing trial-wise changes in breadth of attention. Specifically, we used a shape discrimination task to induce a narrow or broad breadth of attention by asking participants to remember the location of a gap in a small or a large circle. A visual search task with targets presented at different distances from the centre of the screen was used to behaviourally assess the success of the manipulation of breadth of attention. Data were analysed using a generalized additive mixed model to test the experimental effects on pupil size after controlling for the effects of gaze location and eye vergence. The results showed that the pupil was more dilated in the broad-breadth-of-attention condition than in the narrow-breadth-of-attention condition. However, the effect of attentional breadth on visual search performance was not mediated by pupil size, suggesting that more research is needed to understand the functional role of pupil dilation in relation to breadth of attention.
Do cinematographic lighting techniques affect film viewers’ empathic reactions? We investigated the effect of high- and low-contrast lighting on affective empathy toward depicted actors. Forty one participants watched short clips of professional actors expressing happiness, anger, and disgust, and rated the valence and intensity of their own and actors’ emotional states. Affective empathy was assessed through the extent of the facial mimicry of actors’ emotional expressions and quantified through electromyographic activation of expression-specific facial muscles. We managed to elicit facial mimicry for happiness and anger, but not for disgust. High-contrast lighting further amplified empathic mimicry for happy but not for angry expressions. High-contrast lighting also amplified subjective feelings elicited by angry and disgusted but not happy expressions. We conclude that high-contrast lighting can be an effective means for influencing film viewers’ empathic reactions through the low road to empathy, even as the overall impact of lighting also relies on the high road to empathy.
Can cinematographic lightning techniques be used to affect film viewers’ empathic reactions? We investigated the effect of high- and low-contrast lightning on affective empathy towards depicted actors. Fourty one participants watched short clips of professional actors expressing happiness, anger and disgust and rated the valence and intensity of their own and actors’ emotional states. The extent of facial mimicry of actors’ emotional facial expressions, quantified via electromyographic activation of expression-specific facial muscles, was used to assess affective empathy. Results indicated that high-contrast lighting had an amplifying effect on empathic mimicry of happy but not on angry expressions. The results suggest that high-contrast lightning could be used as a way to influence film viewer’s empathic reactions for positive emotions.
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