Cited by 289Decision-Making and Behavioral EconomicsNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesGaze Tracking and Assistive Technology

Eye tracking and pupillometry are indicators of dissociable latent decision processes.

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Cavanagh, James F., Wiecki, Thomas V., Kochar, Angad, Frank, Michael J.·2014·Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

Abstract

Can you predict what people are going to do just by watching them? This is certainly difficult: it would require a clear mapping between observable indicators and unobservable cognitive states. In this report, we demonstrate how this is possible by monitoring eye gaze and pupil dilation, which predict dissociable biases during decision making. We quantified decision making using the drift diffusion model (DDM), which provides an algorithmic account of how evidence accumulation and response caution contribute to decisions through separate latent parameters of drift rate and decision threshold, respectively. We used a hierarchical Bayesian estimation approach to assess the single trial influence of observable physiological signals on these latent DDM parameters. Increased eye gaze dwell time specifically predicted an increased drift rate toward the fixated option, irrespective of the value of the option. In contrast, greater pupil dilation specifically predicted an increase in decision threshold during difficult decisions. These findings suggest that eye tracking and pupillometry reflect the operations of dissociated latent decision processes.

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  • Eye tracking and pupillometry have been used to gauge the attentional, cognitive, and emotional state of a user.

    “Beyond user reliance, eye tracking and pupillometry have been used to gauge the attentional, cognitive, and emotional state of a user [12,18]; for instance, pupil diameter, eyelid closure, and gaze entropy [71] are highly correlated with a person's cognitive load [84].”

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Ratcliff R McKoon G The diffusion decision model: theory and data for two-choice decision tasks Neural computation 2008b 20 4 873 922 doi:10.1162/neco.2008.12-06-420 18085991 PMC2474742 · DOI · Paper page
  2. Wiecki Thomas V Sofer I Frank MJ HDDM: Hierarchical Bayesian estimation of the Drift-Diffusion Model in Python Frontiers in Neuroinformatics 2013 7 August 1 10 doi:10.3389/fninf.2013.00014 23935581 PMC3731670 · DOI · Paper page

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Authors
Cavanagh, J. F., Wiecki, T. V., Kochar, A., & Frank, M. J.
Affiliations
Brown University (US)
Venue
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
Published
2014
Volume
143
Issue
4
Pages
1476-1488
ISSN
  • 0096-3445 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-2222
OpenAlex
W2132578666
Cited by
289
References
58
Citations by year
2026: 23 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 4
FWCI
16.42
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Experimental Psychology General (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5T32MH019118-21 and RO1 MH080066-01)
  • National Science Foundation (1125788)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Gaze Tracking and Assistive Technology
Keywords
eye tracking, pupillometry, decision-making, drift-diffusion model, drift rate, decision threshold, response caution, evidence accumulation, pupil dilation, hierarchical Bayesian estimation
MeSH terms
Attention, Computer Simulation, Conflict, Psychological, Decision Making, Eye Movements, Female, Humans, Male, Models, Psychological, Pupil, Eye Movement Measurements, Young Adult

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