Pupil modulation as a cognitive control signal

A system comprising:

• an electronic device with a display and a sensor;
• a processor;
• and
• a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that upon execution performs operations comprising:
• obtaining pupil dilation data and gaze direction data of a user while content is displayed on the display, the pupil dilation data and gaze direction data obtained using the one or more sensors and varying over time during the display of the content;
• based on the pupil dilation data and gaze direction data, identifying a user interaction with an item in the content, wherein:
• the gaze direction data is used to identify that the user is looking at the item;
• and
• a peak pattern in the pupil dilation data is selectively used, based on variability of ambient light represented in an exogenous signal during the peak pattern, to identify that the user is interacting with the item;
• and
• initiating a response to the user interaction with the item.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that are computer-executable to perform operations comprising:

• obtaining pupil dilation data and gaze direction data of a user while content is displayed on the display, the pupil dilation data and gaze direction data obtained using the one or more sensors and varying over time during the display of the content;
• based on the pupil dilation data and gaze direction data, identifying a user interaction with an item in the content, wherein:
• the gaze direction data is used to identify that the user is looking at the item;
• and
• a peak pattern in the pupil dilation data is selectively used, based on variability of ambient light represented in an exogenous signal during the peak pattern, to identify that the user is interacting with the item;
• and
• initiating a response to the user interaction with the item.