Effect Of Eye Closure Research Articles

Eye Closure Interacts with Music to Influence Vividness and Content of Directed Imagery

Goal-directed, intentional mental imagery generation supports a range of daily self-regulatory activities, such as planning, decision-making, and recreational escapism. Many clinical interventions for mood and anxiety disorders also use imagery and their effectiveness can be affected by an individual's ability to manipulate vividness and content of mental imagery. Prior literature points towards music as a promising candidate to influence imagination in such settings, but basic questions remain regarding how music affects mental imagery and how it interacts with basic, well-established parameters, such as facilitatory effects of eye closure. One hundred participants listened to music and a silent control whilst performing a guided mental imagery task. Specifically, participants saw a short video of a figure journeying towards a landmark and imagined a continuation of the journey with either closed or open eyes. After each trial, participants reported vividness and content of their imagined journeys. Bayesian Mixed Effects Models obtained strong evidence of greater vividness, duration, as well as distance travelled in music conditions compared to silent conditions. Additionally, interactive effects of music and eye closure were found for both vividness and the emotional valence of imagined content, where music effects were disproportionately amplified by eye closure. Findings further support music's potential to manipulate the perceptual, spatial-temporal, as well as emotional sentiment of deliberately generated mental imagery.

Effect of eye closure on speech recognition in noise: in light and in darkness

Objective This study evaluated whether listening with an eye closure (EC) strategy improves speech recognition in noise (SRN) under different visual conditions. Previous research suggests EC may enhance activation of cortical systems involved in listening and attention. Study hypotheses were that EC listening leads to better SRN than eyes open listening, that listening in darkness leads to better SRN than in light, and EC listening leads to more improved SRN in light compared to darkness. Design SRN with the Cantonese Hearing in Noise Test (CHINT) under four conditions was assessed: (1) eyes open with lights on, (2) EC with lights on, (3) eyes open in darkened room, and (4) EC in darkened room. ANOVA determined potential differences among conditions and effect sizes were calculated. Study sample Fifty-six young adults (age range 18–35 years) with bilaterally normal hearing. Results Significant effects for EC and presence/absence of an external visual stimulus on SRN were found. Post-hoc analysis found a statistically significant difference between eyes open and closed in light, with a large effect size, indicating EC resulted in the greatest improvement in SRN when in the presence of an external visual stimulus. However, differences compared with known CHINT inter-list variability lacked clinical importance. Conclusions EC did significantly improve SRN and is a potential strategy for challenging listening situations when feasible, although no changes are needed for CHINT norms or testing procedures in relation to EC status.

Eye-closure & the retrieval of item-specific information in recognition memory.

Two experiments investigated the effect of eye-closure on visual and auditory memory under conditions based on the retrieval of item-specific information. Experiment 1 investigated visual recognition memory for studied, perceptually similar and unrelated items. It was found that intermittent eye-closure increased memory for studied items and decreased memory for related items. This finding was reflected by enhanced item-specific and reduced gist memory. Experiment 2 used the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm to assess auditory recognition memory for studied, related and unrelated words that had (vs. had not) been accompanied by pictures during encoding. Pictures but not eye-closure produced a picture superiority effect by enhancing memory for studied items. False memory was reduced by pictures but not eye-closure. Methodological and theoretical considerations are discussed in relation to existing explanations of eye-closure and retrieval strategies.

Closing eyes during auditory memory retrieval modulates alpha rhythm but does not alter tau rhythm

The alpha power increase that occurs when the eyes are closed is one of the most well-known effects in human electrophysiology. In particular, previous psychological studies have investigated whether eye closure can boost memory performance under certain circumstances, providing contradictory evidence across sensory input modalities. Although alpha power is modulated during different phases of memory and these modulations are correlated with performance, few studies have reported on the relationship between eye closure, memory, and alpha-band power. The present study investigates the influence of eye closure while participants (n = 21) performed an auditory recognition memory task with spoken words during the recording of magnetoencephalography (MEG) data. Our results showed no evidence for a behavioural effect of eye closure in the performance of the task. In addition, electrophysiological responses to the stimuli showed the expected alpha event-related desynchronization (ERD) 0.5–1 s and a high-alpha/beta event-related synchronization (ERS) 1–2 s after word onset. The data showed the expected memory effect, i.e. remembered words elicited greater 10 Hz ERD than forgotten words in the brain regions typically associated with the language network, suggesting a modulation of tau rhythm. Eye closure modulated alpha rhythm only in posterior-parietal and occipital regions. The lack of interaction and the different localizations found for modulations of tau and classical alpha rhythms suggests that these rhythms play distinct functional roles in memory performance.

Subjective versus digital image analysis of the corneal opacity as a tool for estimation of time since death with studying the effect of eye closure and ambient temperature

Subjective versus digital image analysis of the corneal opacity as a tool for estimation of time since death with studying the effect of eye closure and ambient temperature Abstract Estimation of time pass since death is a great forensic confrontation. Corneal opacity is an endorsed forensic tool for estimation of time pass since death. Previous researches depend on subjective way while others used digital image analysis system. In this study we compare subjective and digital image analysis methods, in addition to studying effect of eye closure and temperature on development of corneal opacity. Closed and opened rabbit eyes corneas were photographed at different postmortem intervals. A scoring system was used to assess the cornea opacity. Image analysis was done by MATLAB software. Simple regression analysis revealed better prediction of the postmortem intervals using image analysis parameters than when subjective assessment was employed. On using multiple regression analysis, there is improvement of SEE from 2.5-3.6 hr. to 1.1-1.3 when using equation of 3 elements of colors red, green and blue. Corneal opacity slightly increased in closed eye than in opened one. In summer corneal opacity occur faster than in winter. Key words: time pass since death, corneal opacity, digital imaging, eye closure, temperature

Eye-Closure Enhances Creative Performance on Divergent and Convergent Creativity Tasks.

In today’s world of rapid changes and increasing complexity, understanding and enhancing creativity is of critical importance. Studies investigating EEG correlates of creativity linked power in the alpha frequency band to creativity, and alpha-power has been interpreted as reflecting attention on internal mental representations and inhibition of external sensory input. Thus far, however, there is no direct evidence for the idea that internally directed attention facilitates creativity. The aim of the current study was to experimentally investigate the relationship between eye-closure—a simple and effective means to stimulate internally directed attention—and creativity. Moreover, to test whether the potential beneficial effect of eye-closure is specific for creativity, or whether it improves general cognitive functioning, the current study tested the effect of eye-closure on creativity and on working memory (WM). Participants completed four tasks to measure divergent and convergent creativity (Adapted Alternative Uses (AAU) Test, Remote Associates Test (RAT), Sentence Construction Test, and Word Construction Test), and one task to measure WM (Digit Span Test). For each task, participants had to perform two versions, one version with eyes open and one version with eyes closed. Eye-closure facilitated creative performance on the classical divergent and convergent creativity tasks (AAU Test and RAT). No effect of eye-closure was observed on the WM task. These findings provide a novel and easily applicable means to enhance divergent and convergent creativity through eye-closure.

Possible Effects of Eye-Closure on Spoken Word Recognition and Listening Comprehension

Possible Effects of Eye-Closure on Spoken Word Recognition and Listening Comprehension

What Is the Contribution of Ia-Afference for Regulating Motor Output Variability during Standing?

Motor variability is an inherent feature of all human movements, and describes the system‘s stability and rigidity during the performance of functional motor tasks such as balancing. In order to ensure successful task execution, the nervous system is thought to be able to flexibly select the appropriate level of variability. However, it remains unknown which neurophysiological pathways are utilized for the control of motor output variability. In responding to natural variability (in this example sway), it is plausible that the neuro-physiological response to muscular elongation contributes to restoring a balanced upright posture. In this study, the postural sway of 18 healthy subjects was observed while their visual and mechano-sensory system was perturbed. Simultaneously, the contribution of Ia-afferent information for controlling the motor task was assessed by means of H-reflex. There was no association between postural sway and Ia-afference in the eyes open condition, however up to 4% of the effects of eye closure on the magnitude of sway can be compensated by increased reliance on Ia-afference. Increasing the biomechanical demands by adding up to 40% bodyweight around the trunk induced a specific sway response, such that the magnitude of sway remained unchanged but its dynamic structure became more regular and stable (by up to 18%). Such regular sway patterns have been associated with enhanced cognitive involvement in controlling motor tasks. It therefore appears that the nervous system applies different control strategies in response to the perturbations: The loss of visual information is compensated by increased reliance on other receptors; while the specific regular sway pattern associated with additional weight-bearing was independent of Ia-afferent information, suggesting the fundamental involvement of supraspinal centers for the control of motor output variability.

The eyeclosure effect: the role of encoding modality and serial position

The eyeclosure effect: the role of encoding modality and serial position

Baseline adjustment increases accurate interpretation of posturographic sway scores

Postural steadiness may be quantified using posturographic sway measures. These measures are commonly used to differentiate between a person's baseline balance and balance related to some physiological condition. However, the difference in sway scores between the two conditions may be difficult to detect due to large inter-subject variation. We compared detection accuracy provided by three models that linearly regress a sway measure (mean distance, velocity, or frequency) on the effect of eye closure on balance (eyes open (EO) vs. eyes closed (EC)). In Model 1 the dependent variable is a single sway score (EO or EC), whereas in Models 2 and 3 it is a change score (EO–EO or EC–EO). The independent variable is always the group (group=0: EO or group=1: EC). Model 3 also accounts for the regression to the mean effect (RTM), by considering the baseline value (EO) as a covariate. When differentiating between EO and EC conditions, 94% accuracy can be achieved when using mean velocity as sway measure and either Model 2 or 3. Thus by adjusting for baseline score one increases the accurate interpretation of posturographic sway scores.

Does rapport‐building boost the eyewitness eyeclosure effect in closed questioning?

PurposeSeveral studies have documented that people's ability to correctly report details of witnessed events is enhanced when they merely close their eyes. Yet closing one's eyes in front of a stranger could sometimes create social discomfort, which other studies suggest can impair memory reports. This paper reports two experiments exploring the extent to which the memory benefits of eyeclosure are enhanced when efforts are taken to build interviewer/witness rapport, thus potentially reducing discomfort.MethodsIn both studies participants observed filmed events and, afterwards, half underwent a basic rapport‐building exercise with an interviewer. All participants then answered closed questions about specific details of the event, and half were instructed to close their eyes throughout this questioning. We recorded the proportion of questions answered correctly, incorrectly, or with ‘don't know’ responses.ResultsBoth eyeclosure and rapport‐building separately enhanced correct responding. The data offer no evidence, though, that rapport‐building moderated this eyeclosure benefit. This is despite the fact that rapport‐building did appear to moderate the effect of eyeclosure on participants' self‐reported comfort during the interviews.ConclusionsThese studies give us initial cause for doubt over a hypothesized – but heretofore untested – social psychological constraint on the benefits of eyeclosure.

Effects of eye-closure on confidence-accuracy relations in eyewitness testimony

Confidence judgments about the quality of memory can have serious implications in eyewitness settings. Three experiments investigated the effect of eye-closure during eyewitness interviews on confidence-accuracy relations in event recall. In all experiments, participants viewed video-taped events and were subsequently questioned about the event, while they had their eyes open or closed. Participants provided confidence ratings for each response. We found that participants were generally able to monitor the accuracy of their responses, although they displayed underconfidence for imprecise responses. Importantly, across all experiments, eye-closure increased accuracy without significantly inflating confidence or impairing confidence-accuracy relations. Moreover, in Experiment 3, reducing distraction (e.g., through eye-closure) significantly reduced overconfidence. Thus, unlike most other investigative interview protocols that facilitate recall, eye-closure improves recall accuracy with no apparent cost, and some evidence of benefit, to metamemory. Practical implications of these findings are discussed, and hypotheses regarding potential theoretical mechanisms are proposed.

Eye-closure increases children's memory accuracy for visual material

Research shows that closing the eyes during retrieval can help both adults and children to remember more about witnessed events. In this study, we investigated whether the eye-closure effect in children is explained by general cognitive load, modality-specific interference, or a combination. 120 children (60 female) aged between 8 and 11 years viewed a 5-min clip depicting a theft and were questioned about the event. During the cued-recall interview, children either viewed a blank screen (blank-screen condition), kept their eyes closed (eye-closure condition), were exposed to visual stimuli (visual-distraction condition), or were exposed to auditory stimuli (auditory-distraction condition). Children in the blank-screen and eye-closure conditions provided significantly more correct and fewer incorrect responses about visual details than children in the visual- and auditory-distraction conditions. No advantage was found for auditory details. These results support neither a pure cognitive-load explanation (in which the effect is expected to be observed for recall of both visual and auditory details), nor a pure modality-specific account (in which recall of visual details should only be disrupted by visual distractions). Practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Eye closure causes widespread low-frequency power increase and focal gamma attenuation in the human electrocorticogram

ObjectiveWe sought to characterize the effects of eye closure on EEG power using electrocorticography (ECoG). Specifically, we sought to elucidate the anatomical areas demonstrating an eye closure effect, and at which frequencies this effect occurs. MethodsECoG was recorded from 32 patients undergoing invasive monitoring for seizure focus localization. Patients were instructed to close and open their eyes repeatedly. ECoG power was compared in the epochs following eye closure and opening, for various frequency bands and brain regions. ResultsWe found that at low frequencies, eye closure causes widespread power increases involving all lobes of the brain. This effect was significant not only in the α (8–12Hz) band but in the δ (2–4Hz), θ (4–8Hz), and β (15–30Hz) bands as well. At high frequencies, eye closure causes comparatively focal power decreases over occipital cortex and frontal Brodmann areas 8 and 9. ConclusionsEye closure (1) affects a broad range of frequencies outside the α band and (2) involves a distributed network of neural activity in anatomical areas outside visual cortex. SignificanceThis study constitutes the first large-scale, systematic application of ECoG to study eye closure, which is shown to influence a broad range of frequencies and brain regions.

Eye-closure improves memory for a witnessed event under naturalistic conditions

Eye-closure may help people remember live and videotaped mundane events and videotaped violent events. The present study extended this research by examining memory for a forensically relevant live event (a staged verbal altercation) and by interviewing witnesses under naturalistic conditions. Ninety-six witnesses were interviewed either inside in a quiet setting or outside on a busy street, with eyes open or closed. In free recall, eye-closure significantly increased the number of correct details reported, without harming testimonial accuracy. These benefits were significant for witnesses interviewed inside but not for witnesses interviewed outside. This finding highlights the potential role of spontaneous mental context reinstatement in the eye-closure effect. In cued recall, eye-closure improved fine-grain correct recall of visual details for both groups of witnesses. From an applied perspective, the findings suggest that police interviewers should instruct witnesses to close their eyes, both during initial statements taken on the street and during full interviews conducted at the police station.

Low luminance/eyes closed and monochromatic stimulations reduce variability of flash visual evoked potential latency

Context:Visual evoked potentials are useful in investigating the physiology and pathophysiology of the human visual system. Flash visual evoked potential (FVEP), though technically easier, has less clinical utility because it shows great variations in both latency and amplitude for normal subjects.Aim:To study the effect of eye closure, low luminance, and monochromatic stimulation on the variability of FVEPs.Subjects and Methods:Subjects in self-reported good health in the age group of 18-30 years were divided into three groups. All participants underwent FVEP recording with eyes open and with white light at 0.6 J luminance (standard technique). Next recording was done in group 1 with closed eyes, group 2 with 1.2 and 20 J luminance, and group 3 with red and blue lights, while keeping all the other parameters constant. Two trials were given for each eye, for each technique. The same procedure was repeated at the same clock time on the following day.Statistical Analysis:Variation in FVEP latencies between the individuals (interindividual variability) and the variations within the same individual for four trials (intraindividual variability) were assessed using coefficient of variance (COV). The technique with lower COV was considered the better method.Results:Recording done with closed eyes, 0.6 J luminance, and monochromatic light (blue > red) showed lower interindividual and intraindividual variability in P2 and N2 as compared to standard techniques.Conclusions:Low luminance flash stimulations and monochromatic light will reduce FVEP latency variability and may be clinically useful modifications of FVEP recording technique.

The Effects of Eye-Closure and “Ear-Closure” on Recall of Visual and Auditory Aspects of a Criminal Event

Previous research has shown that closing the eyes can facilitate recall of semantic and episodic information. Here, two experiments are presented which investigate the theoretical underpinnings of the eye-closure effect and its auditory equivalent, the “ear-closure” effect. In Experiment 1, participants viewed a violent videotaped event and were subsequently interviewed about the event with eyes open or eyes closed. Eye-closure was found to have modality-general benefits on coarse-grain correct responses, but modality-specific effects on fine-grain correct recall and incorrect recall (increasing the former and decreasing the latter). In Experiment 2, participants viewed the same event and were subsequently interviewed about it, either in quiet conditions or while hearing irrelevant speech. Contrary to expectations, irrelevant speech did not significantly impair recall performance. This null finding might be explained by the absence of social interaction during the interview in Experiment 2. In conclusion, eye-closure seems to involve both general and modality-specific processes. The practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Eyeclosure helps memory by reducing cognitive load and enhancing visualisation

Closing the eyes helps memory. We investigated the mechanisms underlying the eyeclosure effect by exposing 80 eyewitnesses to different types of distraction during the witness interview: blank screen (control), eyes closed, visual distraction, and auditory distraction. We examined the cognitive load hypothesis by comparing any type of distraction (visual or auditory) with minimal distraction (blank screen or eyes closed). We found recall to be significantly better when distraction was minimal, providing evidence that eyeclosure reduces cognitive load. We examined the modality-specific interference hypothesis by comparing the effects of visual and auditory distraction on recall of visual and auditory information. Visual and auditory distraction selectively impaired memory for information presented in the same modality, supporting the role of visualisation in the eyeclosure effect. Analysis of recall in terms of grain size revealed that recall of basic information about the event was robust, whereas recall of specific details was prone to both general and modality-specific disruptions.

The effect of eye closure on children's eyewitness testimonies

Previous studies conducted with adults found that eye closure increased the number of correctly reported details with no concurrent increase in the number of incorrect details. One possible explanation for this phenomenon is that closing the eyes reduces external stimulation, and so increases the capacity of the participant to concentrate on the memorial image, dedicating greater resources to the memorial trace. In this study, we investigated whether the same advantage could be found in 6- and 11-year-old children. Participants were asked to provide a free recall and a cued recall of a short emotional clip taken from the movie Jurassic Park either with their eyes open or closed. Free recall was then analysed in terms of proportion of correct details, incorrect details, and confabulations; cued recall in terms of number and type of details. The results clearly showed that eye closure improved children's cued recall, while leaving free recall substantially unaffected. These results are discussed in the light of the possible advantage of eye closure when interviewing children.

Light fingertip contact on thigh facilitates handstand balance in gymnasts

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate whether a light touch reduces postural sway in an unusual posture. Méthod Displacements of the Centre of Pressure (CoP) of eight women gymnasts were recorded in four conditions, eyes open or closed and with or without a light touch on the thigh while the participants maintained the handstand. Results In the eyes open condition, the range of CoP displacements significantly decreased on the lateral but not on the antero posterior axis, and the mean speed of CoP displacements decreased when the light touch was applied. Moreover, the application of the light touch compensated for the effect of eye closure. Conclusion These results highlight the primacy of sensory information in the maintenance of the handstand and suggest that the ability to switch from one perceptual modality to another to control posture exists regardless of the specific posture.