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Brief Report

Pupillary Responses to Dot Patterns on a Human Face Background

Institute of Art and Design, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8574, Japan
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(1), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14010069
Submission received: 23 November 2023 / Revised: 6 January 2024 / Accepted: 15 January 2024 / Published: 19 January 2024
(This article belongs to the Section Cognition)

Abstract

Dots on natural backgrounds can elicit significant pupillary constrictions within the entire image phase associated with parasympathetic activation, suggesting disgust rather than fear. Although studies have reported that dots on faces elicit stronger disgust than dots on non-face backgrounds, it remains unclear whether dots on a face elicit stronger pupil constrictions than non-face backgrounds. Pupillometry was used while viewing dots on faces and compared with luminance- and spatial frequency-controlled images (dots on phase-scrambled faces) and luminance-controlled images (face only, phase-scrambled faces). Relative pupillary constrictions were elicited when dots were placed on faces and phase-scrambled faces; however, the response to dots on faces did not differ significantly from that to the control stimuli. Approximately 3–5 s after stimulus onset, pupillary responses to dots on faces recovered to baseline faster than those to dots on phase-scrambled faces with a larger pupil size. The initial pupillary constrictions observed are consistent with those in response to dots on natural backgrounds, suggesting that regardless of the background, dots may stimulate parasympathetic activation and elicit disgust rather than fear. The faster recovery from the pupil constriction and larger pupil size in the later phase may be caused by a dynamic balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic neuronal activities.
Keywords: trypophobia; disgust; dot patterns; HASU-COLLA; pupillometry trypophobia; disgust; dot patterns; HASU-COLLA; pupillometry

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MDPI and ACS Style

Song, N.; Koyama, S. Pupillary Responses to Dot Patterns on a Human Face Background. Behav. Sci. 2024, 14, 69. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14010069

AMA Style

Song N, Koyama S. Pupillary Responses to Dot Patterns on a Human Face Background. Behavioral Sciences. 2024; 14(1):69. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14010069

Chicago/Turabian Style

Song, Nanxin, and Shinichi Koyama. 2024. "Pupillary Responses to Dot Patterns on a Human Face Background" Behavioral Sciences 14, no. 1: 69. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14010069

APA Style

Song, N., & Koyama, S. (2024). Pupillary Responses to Dot Patterns on a Human Face Background. Behavioral Sciences, 14(1), 69. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14010069

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