University of Tartu joins Baltic-German collaboration focused on pupillometry methodology and standards

Researchers from the Institute of Psychology at the University of Tartu are participating in the Baltic-German collaborative project “Feelings in the Eyes: Toward Standardized Pupillometric Analysis in Emotion Regulation Research”, together with researchers from Vilnius University and Ruhr University Bochum. The project aims to advance methodological standards in pupillometry research.

Pupil size is considered a cost-effective and accessible correlate of autonomic nervous system activity and cognitive effort. The measure is also gaining ground in emotion regulation research, but the analytical methods used in the field vary, and best practices are still emerging. The project will compare commonly used pupillometric analysis methods by applying them to the same dataset. This approach will help clarify how different analytical decisions affect the results and support the development of more transparent, comparable, and reproducible practices in the field.

As part of the project, the workshop “Minds in the Eyes” will take place on October 2, 2026 at the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center, featuring researchers from all three universities, including Erik Ilkevic, Katja Langer, Oliver Wolf, Martin Kolnes, and Richard Naar.

More information about the project and workshop is available on the website of the Baltic-German University Liaison Office.

The project is supported by the Baltic-German University Liaison Office through funding from the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, administered by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).