NWO SSH-XS grant to study early warning signals of behavioral disengagement

We have been awarded a grant from the Dutch Research Organisation NWO, to. See the announcement and other projects here.

Arousal as an Early Warning Signal: Detecting and Preventing Mind-Wandering in Real-Time

Dr. A.E. Urai (V), Leiden University

As we make decisions about the world around us, our engagement fluctuates – for instance when we mind-wander. It is crucial to detect such disengagement without requiring self-report, and before disengagement occurs, to prevent its detrimental consequences on task performance. This project uses recent advances in computational neuroscience, using video-based pupillary and facial measures of arousal as early warning signals, to predict attentional disengagement before it occurs. We will then use these for real-time biofeedback, to prompt decision-makers into refocusing their attention. This could ultimately reduce decision errors in high-stakes situations such as medical decision-making, criminal judgment and traffic control.