Abstract
The prediction of greater pupillary dilation as unpredictability (induced by random-turn shapes) increased was supported (p <.001) in studies involving 40 young adults and 10 children. The postulated linearity of this increase found support, except in cases where apparent stimulus-selection strategies attenuated the dilation at higher levels of variability. Those Ss who did preference ratings concomitantly with the intake of visual unpredictability evidenced significantly greater dilation (p <.001) at the time of reporting the rating. Both children and adults dilated significantly less to the shapes after prolonged experience with similar stimuli. indicating development of either ability to handle variability or to selectively filter input, but age was not a factor. The lack of any significant relationship between pupillary dilation and preference indicated the need for more definitive work in determining when these two indices profitably complement each other. Finally, adults dilated more to provocative auditory stimuli than to the visual shapes.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
BARTLEY, S. H. The psychophysiology of vision. In S. S. Stevens (Ed.),Handbook of experimental psychology. New York: Wiley, 1951. Pp. 921–984.
BEATTY, J., & KAHNEMAN, D. Pupillary changes in two memory tasks. Psychonomic Science, 1966, 5, 371–372.
BECK, B. B. The effects of the rate and intensity of auditory click stimulation of pupil size. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., September 1967.
BERLYNE, D. F.Conflict, arousal, and curiosity. New York. McGraw-Hill, 1960.
BERLYNE, D. E. Motivational problems raised by exploratory and epistemic behavior. In S. Koch (Ed.),Psychology: A study of a science. Vol. 5. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1963. Pp. 284–364.
GIBSON, J. LThe senses considered as perceptual systems. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1966.
GLANZER, M. Individual performance, R-R theory and perception. In R. M. Gagne (Ed.),Learning and individual differences. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill, 1967. Pp. 000–000.
GROSSMAN, S. P.A textbook of physiological psychology. New York: Wiley, 1967.
HESS, E. H. Attitude and pupil size. Scientific American, 1965, 212, 46–54.
HUNT, J. MeV. Motivation inherent in information processing and action. In O. J. Harvey (Ed.),Motivation and social interaction: Cognitive determinants. New York: Ronald Press, 1963. Pp. 35–94.
HUNT, J. MeV. Intrinsic motivation. In D. Levine (Ed.),Nebraska symposium on motivation: 1965. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1965. Pp. 189–282.
KAGAN, J. On the need for relativism. American Psychologist, 1967, 22, 131–142.
KAGAN, J. Continuity and change in the first year of life. Presidential Address, Division 7, at the meeting of American Psychological Association, San Francisco, September 1968.
KAHNEMAN, D., & BEATTY, J. Pupil diameter and load on memory. Science, 1966, 157, 218–219.
KAHNEMAN, D., & BEATTY, J. Pupillary responses in a pitch-discrimination task. Perception & Psychophysics, 1967, 2, 101–105.
MILLER, G. A. The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 1956, 63, 81–97.
MUNSINGER, H. Multivariate analysis of preference for variability. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1966, 71, 889–895.
MUNSINGER, H., & KESSEN, W. Uncertainty, structure, and preference. Psychological Monographs, 1964, 78 (Whole No. 596), 1–24.
MUNSINGER, H., & KESSEN, W. Stimulus variability and cognitive change. Psychological Review, 1966a, 73, 164–178.
MUNSINGER, H., & KESSEN, W. Preference and recall of stimulus variability. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1966b, 72, 311–312.
MUNSINGER, H., & KESSEN, W. Structure, variability, and development. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 1966c, 4, 20–49.
MUNSINGER, H., KESSEN, W., & KESSEN, M. L. Age and uncertainty: Developmental variation in preference for variability. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 1964, 1, 1–15.
MUNSINGER, H., & WEIR, M. W. Infant’s and young children’s preference for complexity. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 1967, 5, 69–73.
PRIBRAM, K. H. A review of theory in physiological psychology. Annual Review of Psychology, 1960, 11, 1–40.
PRIBRAM, K. H. Reinforcement revisited’ A structural view. In M. R. Jones (Ed.),Nebraska symposium on motivation: 1963. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1963. Pp. 113–159.
RAZRAN, G. The observable unconscious and the inferable conscious in current Soviet psychophysiology: Interoceptive conditioning, semantic conditioning, and the orienting reflex. Psychological Review, 1961, 68, 81–147.
ROSS, R. T. Optimum orders for the presentation of pairs in the method of paired comparisons. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1934, 25, 375–382.
SIMPSON, H. M. Pupillary activity during imagery tasks. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., September 1967.
SIMPSON, H., & PAIVIO, A. Changes in pupil size during an imagery task without motor response involvement. Psychonomic Science, 1966, 5, 405–406.
SOKOLOV, E. N.Perception and the conditioned reflex. New York: Macmillan, 1963.
WOODMANSEE, J. J. Methodological problems in pupillographic experiments. Proceedings of the 75th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, 1966, 13–134.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the PhD degree at the University of Illinois, 1969. The author expresses his gratitude to Dr. J. MeV. Hunt and Dr. Harold Hake for their direction and encouragement. The research was performed while the author was at the University of Redlands and was supported by a grant from its faculty research committee.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Prati, R.W. Cognitive processing of uncertainty: Its effect on pupillary dilation and preference ratings. Perception & Psychophysics 8, 193–198 (1970). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210204
-
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210204