Covariation of Video Game Cognitive Effort and Pupil Diameter

Hess (1965) found that the diameter of the pupil of the eye is directly proportional to the effort involved in solving mental arithmetic problems. The technique of signal averaging to improve signal-to-noise ratio of pupillary data has not been widely employed (Beatty, 1982), due mainly to limitations in instrumental technology. The present study used a newly developed technology to measure the pupil in response to video game playing. It was predicted that pupil diameter should increase during that point of a ping-pong simulation game when the subject is manipulating his paddle to intersect with the trajectory of the ball, while it should return to baseline as the ball moves away from the paddle, as the subject’s degree of concentration diminishes.