Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 400-411 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | EMOTION |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 2023 |
Abstract
Gaze direction and emotion expression are salient facial features that facilitate social interactions. Previous studies addressed how gaze direction influences the evaluation and recognition of emotion expressions, but few have tested how emotion expression influences attentional processing of direct versus averted gaze faces. The present study examined whether the prioritization of direct gaze (toward the observer) relative to averted gaze (away from the observer) is modulated by the emotional expression of the observed face. Participants identified targets presented on the forehead of one of four faces in a 2 × 2 design (gaze direction: direct/averted; motion: sudden/static). Emotion expressions of the faces (neutral, angry, fearful, happy, disgusted) differed across participants. Direct gaze effects emerged—response times were shorter for targets on direct gaze than on averted gaze faces. This direct gaze effect was enhanced in angry faces (approach-oriented) and reduced in fearful faces (avoidance-oriented). “Weaker” approachand avoidance-oriented expressions (happy and disgusted) did not modulate the direct gaze effect. These findings suggest that the context of facial emotion expressions influences attentional processing.
Keywords
- Emotion expression, Gaze direction, Social attention, Social cognition, Visual attention
ASJC Scopus subject areas
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In: EMOTION, Vol. 23, No. 2, 2023, p. 400-411.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - What’s in a Gaze, What’s in a Face?
T2 - The Direct Gaze Effect Can Be Modulated by Emotion Expression
AU - Pittig, Roxana
AU - van der Wel, Robrecht P.R.D.
AU - Welsh, Timothy N.
AU - Böckler, Anne
N1 - Funding Information: This research was supported by an Emmy Noether Program Grant (387752651) to Anne Böckler from the German Research Foundation as well as a Discovery Grant to Timothy N. Welsh from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Gaze direction and emotion expression are salient facial features that facilitate social interactions. Previous studies addressed how gaze direction influences the evaluation and recognition of emotion expressions, but few have tested how emotion expression influences attentional processing of direct versus averted gaze faces. The present study examined whether the prioritization of direct gaze (toward the observer) relative to averted gaze (away from the observer) is modulated by the emotional expression of the observed face. Participants identified targets presented on the forehead of one of four faces in a 2 × 2 design (gaze direction: direct/averted; motion: sudden/static). Emotion expressions of the faces (neutral, angry, fearful, happy, disgusted) differed across participants. Direct gaze effects emerged—response times were shorter for targets on direct gaze than on averted gaze faces. This direct gaze effect was enhanced in angry faces (approach-oriented) and reduced in fearful faces (avoidance-oriented). “Weaker” approachand avoidance-oriented expressions (happy and disgusted) did not modulate the direct gaze effect. These findings suggest that the context of facial emotion expressions influences attentional processing.
AB - Gaze direction and emotion expression are salient facial features that facilitate social interactions. Previous studies addressed how gaze direction influences the evaluation and recognition of emotion expressions, but few have tested how emotion expression influences attentional processing of direct versus averted gaze faces. The present study examined whether the prioritization of direct gaze (toward the observer) relative to averted gaze (away from the observer) is modulated by the emotional expression of the observed face. Participants identified targets presented on the forehead of one of four faces in a 2 × 2 design (gaze direction: direct/averted; motion: sudden/static). Emotion expressions of the faces (neutral, angry, fearful, happy, disgusted) differed across participants. Direct gaze effects emerged—response times were shorter for targets on direct gaze than on averted gaze faces. This direct gaze effect was enhanced in angry faces (approach-oriented) and reduced in fearful faces (avoidance-oriented). “Weaker” approachand avoidance-oriented expressions (happy and disgusted) did not modulate the direct gaze effect. These findings suggest that the context of facial emotion expressions influences attentional processing.
KW - Emotion expression
KW - Gaze direction
KW - Social attention
KW - Social cognition
KW - Visual attention
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85130605136&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/emo0001076
DO - 10.1037/emo0001076
M3 - Article
C2 - 35420835
AN - SCOPUS:85130605136
VL - 23
SP - 400
EP - 411
JO - EMOTION
JF - EMOTION
SN - 1528-3542
IS - 2
ER -