Despite these limitations, pupillometry is a valuable tool for psychological research, says Pittsburgh's Steinhauer, because our eyes are easy to observe as well as provide a sensitive indicator of cognitive, emotional and sensory response. "It's like having an electrode permanently implanted in the brain," he says. "And all we can do is watch the change at the end. We can't monitor everything going into it."

This article is provided by Scienceline, a project of New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program.

2 Comments

1. 1. verdai 02:57 PM 12/13/12

   must really be the windows of the soul

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2. 2. europamoon100 09:23 PM 1/25/13

   The diameters of the pupils could be measured by using such instruments as infrared lasers (which cannot be seen by the people under obsersation). The laser illuminates the eyes and the areas around then, and then photodetectors measure the reflections. Then a microcomputer could use this information to calculate the diameters.
   
   However, this article says NOTHING at all about the actual methods that were used - including back before the invention of the laser. This is a serious omission in this article. Why was that allowed to happen?
   
   D.A.W.

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