A system and method for determining a subject's attentional response to a stimulus. The method includes measuring microsaccadic eye movement dynamics of the subject, detecting whether a microsaccadic signature (a suppression in microsaccadic rate) is present in the measured microsaccadic eye movement relative to a time of the stimulus, and correlating the subject's attentional response to the stimulus based on the detection. The method further includes determining that the stimulus was sensed if the microsaccadic signature is present and determining that the stimulus was not sensed if the microsaccadic signature is absent.