Baseline pupil size is related to cognitive ability – ScienceDirect

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14 points·Gadiguibou··8 comments

Link without paywall: https://psyarxiv.com/pvz24

Previous thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27371309

Previous studies:

- 2008: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8986.2007.00605.x

- 2016: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001002851...

- 2020 (large-scale replication study) (could not replicate results): https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Emil-O-W-Kirkegaard/pub...

- 2021 (reanalysis of previous studies) (could not replicate results): http://refhub.elsevier.com/S0010-0277(21)00245-6/rf0045

- 2021 (reply to 2021 replication study): https://englelab.gatech.edu/articles/2021/Tsukahara%20et%20a...

I just randomly clicked on your middle link "2020 (large-scale replication study): https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Emil-O-W-Kirkegaard/pub..." which, to be clear, did not replicate the results of the study.

Instead, it correlated pupil size with race. Given all of the socioeconomic associations with race, sounds kinda like a confounding variable could very well be at play.

Yep, I probably should give a bit more context with the links as they don't all confirm the results. I thought it was important to tell both sides of the story.

Wait, is this saying using 'dark mode' makes you smarter?

Is this just another way of measuring head size?

Biochemist here: I suspect this has more to do with baseline sympathetic/parasympathetic nervous system activity. (I only read the abstract, but I’m surprised they didn’t mention correcting for this.)

So basically it just measures mild dysautonomia like cold hands/feet caused by Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome.

Is that in the paper? Because a priori, I definitely wouldn't ascribe it to that specific a cause, and at least that's not what I meant.

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