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Science 13 March 1964:
Vol. 143. no. 3611, pp. 1190 - 1192
DOI: 10.1126/science.143.3611.1190
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Articles

Pupil Size in Relation to Mental Activity during Simple Problem-Solving

Eckhard H. Hess 1 and James M. Polt 1

1 Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago 37, Illinois

Changes in pupil size during the solving of simple multiplication problems can be used as a direct measure of mental activity. The pupil response not only indicates mental activity in itself but shows that mental activity is closely correlated with problem difficulty, and that the size of the pupil increases with the difficulty of the problem. These findings relate to recent Russian research on the pupillary reflex in connection with orienting and brain stimulation.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Pupillary responses during information processing vary with Scholastic Aptitude Test scores.
S Ahern and J Beatty (1979)
Science 205, 1289-1292
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Pupillometric signs of brain activation vary with level of cognitive processing.
J Beatty and B. Wagoner (1978)
Science 199, 1216-1218
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Neuro-Ophthalmology.
W. F. HOYT (1964)
Arch Ophthalmol 72, 679-719
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)