Name: Mark Pillai

Masters Thesis Proposal Meeting

Date: Tuesday, July 1st, 2025

Time: 2:00 pm - 3:00pm

Location: Virtual, Meeting link click here

Thesis Chair/Advisor:

Randall Engle, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech)

Thesis Committee Members:

Audrey Leroux, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech)

Mark Wheeler, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech)

Title: How does individual variation in attention control mediate differences in sensory discrimination?
 

Abstract: This proposal investigates the role of attention control in mediating and moderating the relationship between task-evoked pupil dilation and auditory discrimination ability. Drawing on a dataset of 390 adults from Tsukahara et al. (2020), the project aims to clarify how physiological effort, indexed by task-evoked pupil responses (TEPR), relates to sensory discrimination, working memory, and fluid intelligence. Attention control is theorized to serve as the central mechanism linking low-level perceptual processing with higher-order cognition, potentially reflected in both trait-level (between-subject) and state-level (within-subject) dynamics.

Three hypotheses will be tested using structural equation modeling and multilevel modeling. First, greater average pupil dilation will predict better auditory discrimination thresholds, mediated by individual differences in attention control. Second, trial-level increases in pupil dilation and task difficulty will predict response accuracy, with stronger effects for individuals high in attention control. Third, high attention control individuals are expected to exhibit greater pupil dilation under increased difficulty or following errors, reflecting more adaptive cognitive engagement.

This study will contribute to theoretical models of effort and attention by integrating physiological and behavioral data. Moreover, it holds applied relevance for contexts such as personnel selection, in jobs where sensory discrimination and attentional control are critical.