Rupillary response/semantic differential scale relationships

Abstract

Abstract Subjects of both sexes were shown a series of pictures consisting of three affective themes: Benign, Disease, and Nudes. Both the pupillary response and the two relevant dimensions yielded by the semantic differential scale (SDS), attention-interest (AI) and pleasantness-evaluation (PE), were significantly different to the three themes. Across themes, the pupil was most closely related to PE. Within themes there was a significant correspondence between pupil and the SDS indexes only to the Disease theme. The evidence supports the following conclusions: men and women respond similarly to sexually evocative materials, psychopupillary constriction can be reliably induced, and both the pupil and SDS indexes can serve to discriminate between affective themes.