scholarly journals Sex-related differences in behavioral and amygdalar responses to compound facial threat cues

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hee Yeon Im ◽  
Reginald B. Adams ◽  
Cody A. Cushing ◽  
Jasmine Boshyan ◽  
Noreen Ward ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Dual Processing ◽  
Direct Gaze ◽  
Emotional Perception ◽  
The Face ◽  
Threat Cues ◽  
Face Stimuli ◽  
The Right ◽  
Averted Gaze ◽  
Facial Threat

AbstractDuring face perception, we integrate facial expression and eye gaze to take advantage of their shared signals. For example, fear with averted gaze provides a congruent avoidance cue, signaling both threat presence and its location, whereas fear with direct gaze sends an incongruent cue, leaving threat location ambiguous. It has been proposed that the processing of different combinations of threat cues is mediated by dual processing routes: reflexive processing via magnocellular (M) pathway and reflective processing via parvocellular (P) pathway. Because growing evidence has identified a variety of sex differences in emotional perception, here we also investigated how M and P processing of fear and eye gaze might be modulated by observer’s sex, focusing on the amygdala, a structure important to threat perception and affective appraisal. We adjusted luminance and color of face stimuli to selectively engage M or P processing and asked observers to identify emotion of the face. Female observers showed more accurate behavioral responses to faces with averted gaze and greater left amygdala reactivity both to fearful and neutral faces. Conversely, males showed greater right amygdala activation only for M-biased averted-gaze fear faces. In addition to functional reactivity differences, females had greater bilateral amygdala volumes, which positively correlated with behavioral accuracy for M-biased fear. Conversely, in males only the right amygdala volume was positively correlated with accuracy for M-biased fear faces. Our findings suggest that M and P processing of facial threat cues is modulated by functional and structural differences in the amygdalae associated with observer’s sex.

scholarly journals Anxiety modulates perception of facial fear in a pathway-specific, lateralized, manner

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hee Yeon Im ◽  
Reginald B. Adams ◽  
Jasmine Boshyan ◽  
Noreen Ward ◽  
Cody A. Cushing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Facial Expression ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Large Cohort ◽  
Dual Processing ◽  
Direct Gaze ◽  
Threat Cues ◽  
Reflective Processing ◽  
Averted Gaze ◽  
Amygdala Reactivity

AbstractFacial expression and eye gaze provide a shared signal about threats. While averted-gaze fear clearly points to the source of threat, direct-gaze fear renders the source of threat ambiguous. Dual processing routes have been proposed to mediate these processes: reflexive processing via magnocellular (M-) pathway and reflective processing via parvocellular (P-) pathway. We investigated how observers’ trait anxiety modulates Mand P-pathway processing of clear and ambiguous threat cues. We performed fMRI on a large cohort (N=108) widely ranging in trait anxiety while they viewed fearful or neutral faces with averted or directed gaze. We adjusted luminance and color of the stimuli to selectively engage M- or P-pathway processing. We found that higher anxiety facilitated processing of averted-gaze fear projected to M-pathway, but impaired perception of direct-gaze fear projected to P-pathway. Increased right amygdala reactivity was associated with higher anxiety, only for averted-gaze fear presented to M-pathway. Conversely, increased left amygdala reactivity was associated with higher anxiety for P-biased, direct-gaze fear. This lateralization was more pronounced with higher anxiety. Our findings suggest that trait anxiety has differential effects on perception of clear and ambiguous facial threat cues via selective engagement of M and P pathways and lateralization of amygdala reactivity.

scholarly journals Neurodynamics and connectivity during facial fear perception: The role of threat exposure and signal congruity

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cody Cushing ◽  
Hee Yeon Im ◽  
Reginald B. Adams ◽  
Noreen Ward ◽  
Daniel N. Albohn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Face Processing ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Phase Locking ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Stimulus Exposure ◽  
Direct Gaze ◽  
Fearful Faces ◽  
Threat Cues ◽  
Averted Gaze

AbstractFearful faces convey threat cues whose meaning is contextualized by eye gaze: While averted gaze is congruent with facial fear (both signal avoidance), direct gaze is incongruent with it, as direct gaze signals approach. We have previously shown using fMRI that the amygdala is engaged more strongly by fear with averted gaze, which has been found to be processed more efficiently, during brief exposures. However, the amygdala also responds more to fear with direct gaze during longer exposures. Here we examined previously unexplored brain oscillatory responses to characterize the neurodynamics and connectivity during brief (∼250 ms) and longer (∼883 ms) exposures of fearful faces with direct or averted eye gaze. We replicated the exposure time by gaze direction interaction in fMRI (N=23), and observed greater early phase locking to averted-gaze fear (congruent threat signal) with MEG (N=60) in a network of face processing regions, with both brief and longer exposures. Phase locking to direct-gaze fear (incongruent threat signal) then increased significantly for brief exposures at ∼350 ms, and at ∼700 ms for longer exposures. Our results characterize the stages of congruent and incongruent facial threat signal processing and show that stimulus exposure strongly affects the onset and duration of these stages.

scholarly journals Cross-cultural asymmetries in oculomotor interference elicited by gaze distractors belonging to Asian and White faces

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyuan Zhang ◽  
Mario Dalmaso ◽  
Luigi Castelli ◽  
Shimin Fu ◽  
Giovanni Galfano
Keyword(s):  
Social Factors ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cross Cultural Differences ◽  
The Face ◽  
Perceived Social Status ◽  
Task Irrelevant ◽  
Interference Study ◽  
Averted Gaze

AbstractThe averted gaze of others triggers reflexive attentional orienting in the corresponding direction. This phenomenon can be modulated by many social factors. Here, we used an eye-tracking technique to investigate the role of ethnic membership in a cross-cultural oculomotor interference study. Chinese and Italian participants were required to perform a saccade whose direction might be either congruent or incongruent with the averted-gaze of task-irrelevant faces belonging to Asian and White individuals. The results showed that, for Chinese participants, White faces elicited a larger oculomotor interference than Asian faces. By contrast, Italian participants exhibited a similar oculomotor interference effect for both Asian and White faces. Hence, Chinese participants found it more difficult to suppress eye-gaze processing of White rather than Asian faces. The findings provide converging evidence that social attention can be modulated by social factors characterizing both the face stimulus and the participants. The data are discussed with reference to possible cross-cultural differences in perceived social status.

scholarly journals Age Similarity in Emotion Perception Based on Eye Gaze Manipulation

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 455-456
Author(s):  
Yosra Abualula ◽  
Eric Allard
Keyword(s):  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Emotion Perception ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Adult Participants ◽  
Recognition Ability ◽  
The Face ◽  
Averted Gaze

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine age differences in emotion perception as a function of emotion type and gaze direction. Old and young adult participants were presented with facial images showing happiness, sadness, fear, anger and disgust while having their eyes tracked. The image stimuli included a manipulation of eye gaze. Half of the facial expressions had a directed eye gaze while the other half showed an averted gaze. A 2 (age) x 2 (gaze) x 5 (emotion) repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze emotion perception scores and fixation to eye and mouth regions of the face. The manipulation of eye gaze yielded more age similarities than differences in emotion perception. Overall, we did not detect age differences in recognition ability. However, we found that certain emotion categories differentially impacted emotion perception. Interestingly, we observed that an averted gaze led to beneficial performance for fear and disgust faces. Additionally, participants spent more time fixating on the eye regions of sad facial expressions. We discuss how naturalistic manipulations of various facial features could impact age-related differences (or similarities) in emotion perception.

scholarly journals Facial threat affects trust more strongly than facial attractiveness in women than it does in men

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Brustkern ◽  
Markus Heinrichs ◽  
Mirella Walker ◽  
Bastian Schiller
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Parental Investment ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Facial Attractiveness ◽  
The Other ◽  
Trust Game ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Threat Cues ◽  
Face Stimuli ◽  
Facial Threat

AbstractTrust is essential in initiating social relationships. Due to the differential evolution of sex hormones as well as the fitness burdens of producing offspring, evaluations of a potential mating partner’s trustworthiness likely differ across sexes. Here, we explore unknown sex-specific effects of facial attractiveness and threat on trusting other-sex individuals. Ninety-three participants (singles; 46 women) attracted by the other sex performed an incentivized trust game. They had to decide whether to trust individuals of the other sex represented by a priori-created face stimuli gradually varying in the intensities of both attractiveness and threat. Male and female participants trusted attractive and unthreatening-looking individuals more often. However, whereas male participants’ trust behavior was affected equally by attractiveness and threat, female participants’ trust behavior was more strongly affected by threat than by attractiveness. This indicates that a partner’s high facial attractiveness might compensate for high facial threat in male but not female participants. Our findings suggest that men and women prioritize attractiveness and threat differentially, with women paying relatively more attention to threat cues inversely signaling parental investment than to attractiveness cues signaling reproductive fitness. This difference might be attributable to an evolutionary, biologically sex-specific decision regarding parental investment and reproduction behavior.

scholarly journals No influence of eye gaze on emotional face processing in the absence of conscious awareness

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Caruana ◽  
Christine Inkley ◽  
Marwa El Zein ◽  
Kiley Seymour
Keyword(s):  
Face Processing ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Conscious Awareness ◽  
Privileged Access ◽  
Direct Gaze ◽  
Fearful Faces ◽  
Emotional Face Processing ◽  
Threat Cues ◽  
Emotional Face

Abstract The human brain has evolved specialised mechanisms to enable the rapid detection of threat cues, including emotional face expressions (e.g., fear and anger). However, contextual cues – such as gaze direction – influence the ability to recognise emotional expressions. For instance, anger paired with direct gaze, and fear paired with averted gaze are more accurately recognised compared to alternate conjunctions of these features. It is argued that this is because gaze direction conveys the relevance and locus of the threat to the observer. Here, we used continuous flash suppression (CFS) to assess whether the modulatory effect of gaze direction on emotional face processing occurs outside of conscious awareness. Previous research using CFS has demonstrated that fearful facial expressions are prioritised by the visual system and gain privileged access to awareness over other expressed emotions. We hypothesised that if the modulatory effects of gaze on emotional face processing occur also at this level, then the gaze-emotion conjunctions signalling self-relevant threat will reach awareness faster than those that do not. We report that fearful faces gain privileged access to awareness over angry faces, but that gaze direction does not modulate this effect. Thus, our findings suggest that previously reported effects of gaze direction on emotional face processing are likely to occur once the face is detected, where the self-relevance and locus of the threat can be consciously appraised.

Effect of the model eye gaze direction on consumer information processing: a consideration of gender differences

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (7) ◽  
pp. 1403-1420
Author(s):  
Qiuzhen Wang ◽  
Lan Ma ◽  
Liqiang Huang ◽  
Lei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Consumer Information ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Direct Gaze ◽  
Female Consumers ◽  
Averted Gaze

PurposeThe purpose of this paper aims to investigate the effect of a model's eye gaze direction on the information processing behavior of consumers varying based on their gender.Design/methodology/approachAn eye-tracking experiment and a memory test are conducted to test the research hypotheses.FindingsCompared to an averted gaze, a model with a direct gaze attracts more attention to the model's face among male consumers, leading to deeper processing. However, the findings show that when a model displays a direct gaze rather than an averted gaze, female consumers pay more attention to the brand name, thus leading to deeper processing.Originality/valueThis study contributes to not only the existing eye gaze direction literature by integrating the facilitative effect of direct gaze and considering the moderating role of consumer gender on consumer information processing but also the literature concerning the selectivity hypothesis by providing evidence of gender differences in information processing. Moreover, this study offers practical insights to practitioners regarding how to design appealing webpages to satisfy consumers of different genders.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-01-2020-0025

scholarly journals Enhanced detection of gaze toward an object: Sociocognitive influences on visual search

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nayantara Ramamoorthy ◽  
Oliver Jamieson ◽  
Nahiyan Imaan ◽  
Kate Plaisted-Grant ◽  
Greg Davis
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Building Block ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Spatial Relationship ◽  
Human Vision ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Direct Gaze ◽  
Socially Relevant ◽  
Averted Gaze

Abstract Another person’s gaze direction is a rich source of social information, especially eyes gazing toward prominent or relevant objects. To guide attention to these important stimuli, visual search mechanisms may incorporate sophisticated coding of eye-gaze and its spatial relationship to other objects. Alternatively, any guidance might reflect the action of simple perceptual ‘templates’ tuned to visual features of socially relevant objects, or intrinsic salience of direct-gazing eyes for human vision. Previous findings that direct gaze (toward oneself) is prioritised over averted gaze do not distinguish between these accounts. To resolve this issue, we compared search for eyes gazing toward a prominent object versus gazing away, finding more efficient search for eyes ‘gazing toward’ the object. This effect was most clearly seen in target-present trials when gaze was task-relevant. Visual search mechanisms appear to specify gazer-object relations, a computational building-block of theory of mind.

scholarly journals No preference for direct versus averted gaze in autistic adults: a reinforced preferential looking paradigm

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elise Clin ◽  
Pauline Maes ◽  
Fanny Stercq ◽  
Mikhail Kissine
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Social Attention ◽  
Visual Exploration ◽  
Direct Gaze ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
Preferential Looking ◽  
Autistic Adults ◽  
Spontaneous Exploration ◽  
Averted Gaze

Abstract Background With the overarching objective to gain better insights into social attention in autistic adults, the present study addresses three outstanding issues about face processing in autism. First, do autistic adults display a preference for mouths over eyes; second, do they avoid direct gaze; third, is atypical visual exploration of faces in autism mediated by gender, social anxiety or alexithymia? Methods We used a novel reinforced preferential looking paradigm with a group of autistic adults (n = 43, 23 women) pairwise matched on age with neurotypical participants (n = 43, 21 women). Participants watched 28 different pairs of 5 s video recordings of a speaking person: the two videos, simultaneously displayed on the screen, were identical except that gaze was directed at the camera in one video and averted in the other. After a 680 ms transition phase, a short reinforcement animation appeared on the side that had displayed the direct gaze. Results None of the groups showed a preference for mouths over eyes. However, neurotypical participants fixated significantly more the stimuli with direct gaze, while no such preference emerged in autistic participants. As the experiment progressed, neurotypical participants also increasingly anticipated the appearance of the reinforcement, based on the location of the stimulus with the direct gaze, while no such anticipation emerged in autistic participants. Limitations Our autistic participants scored higher on the social anxiety and alexithymia questionnaires than neurotypicals. Future studies should match neurotypical and autistic participants on social anxiety and alexithymia and complement questionnaires with physiological measures of anxiety. Conclusions The absence of preference for direct versus averted gaze in the autistic group is probably due to difficulties in distinguishing eye gaze direction, potentially linked to a reduced spontaneous exploration or avoidance of the eye region. Social attention and preference for direct versus averted gaze correlated with alexithymia and social anxiety scores, but not gender.

scholarly journals Mechanisms of Eye Gaze Perception during Infancy

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 1320-1326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Farroni ◽  
Mark H. Johnson ◽  
Gergely Csibra
Keyword(s):  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Cortical Processing ◽  
Gaze Perception ◽  
Direct Gaze ◽  
Averted Gaze

Previous work has shown that infants are sensitive to the direction of gaze of another's face, and that gaze direction can cue attention. The present study replicates and extends results on the ERP correlates of gaze processing in 4-month-olds. In two experiments, we recorded ERPs while 4-month-olds viewed direct and averted gaze within the context of averted and inverted heads. Our results support the previous finding that cortical processing of faces in infants is enhanced when accompanied by direct gaze. However, this effect is only found when eyes are presented within the context of an upright face.

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