scholarly journals FUNCTIONAL SPECIFICITY IN EYE GAZE PROCESSING: EVIDENCE FROM DEVELOPMENTAL PROSOPAGNOSIA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoe Little
Keyword(s):  
Face Processing ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Temporal Integration ◽  
Head Rotation ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Spatial Integration ◽  
Gaze Perception ◽  
Functional Specificity ◽  
Face Identity ◽  
Perceptual Stability

<p>The eyes of other people subserve two core functions in human social cognition: gaze perception and face identity recognition. This thesis reports two psychophysical studies that examine the degree of functional specificity between eye gaze processing and face identity processing by testing if various aspects of gaze processing are intact in people with developmental prosopagnosia (DP) – the lifelong inability to recognise face identity. Study 1 investigates spatial integration in eye gaze perception using two tasks. DP and control participants completed one task that measured perception of gaze direction from the two eyes and another that measured the Wollaston illusion (whereby perceived eye gaze is pulled by head rotation; requiring the integration of eye and head direction). Study 2 investigates temporal integration in eye gaze perception using two tasks. The first task measured adaptation effects in eye gaze perception, which reflects sensitivity to gaze direction and its sensory representations. The second task measured serial dependence in gaze perception, which reflects temporal integration of gaze direction and its perceptual stability. Despite their deficits in recognising face identity, DP participants showed normal gaze processing across all studies. These results demonstrate the functional specificity of gaze processing and imply that gaze perception is carried out by dedicated mechanisms not used for processing identity. Our findings align with models of face processing that posit distinct pathways for gaze and identity analysis, and further clarify the selectivity of face processing dysfunctions in developmental prosopagnosia.</p>

scholarly journals FUNCTIONAL SPECIFICITY IN EYE GAZE PROCESSING: EVIDENCE FROM DEVELOPMENTAL PROSOPAGNOSIA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoe Little
Keyword(s):  
Face Processing ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Temporal Integration ◽  
Head Rotation ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Spatial Integration ◽  
Gaze Perception ◽  
Functional Specificity ◽  
Face Identity ◽  
Perceptual Stability

<p>The eyes of other people subserve two core functions in human social cognition: gaze perception and face identity recognition. This thesis reports two psychophysical studies that examine the degree of functional specificity between eye gaze processing and face identity processing by testing if various aspects of gaze processing are intact in people with developmental prosopagnosia (DP) – the lifelong inability to recognise face identity. Study 1 investigates spatial integration in eye gaze perception using two tasks. DP and control participants completed one task that measured perception of gaze direction from the two eyes and another that measured the Wollaston illusion (whereby perceived eye gaze is pulled by head rotation; requiring the integration of eye and head direction). Study 2 investigates temporal integration in eye gaze perception using two tasks. The first task measured adaptation effects in eye gaze perception, which reflects sensitivity to gaze direction and its sensory representations. The second task measured serial dependence in gaze perception, which reflects temporal integration of gaze direction and its perceptual stability. Despite their deficits in recognising face identity, DP participants showed normal gaze processing across all studies. These results demonstrate the functional specificity of gaze processing and imply that gaze perception is carried out by dedicated mechanisms not used for processing identity. Our findings align with models of face processing that posit distinct pathways for gaze and identity analysis, and further clarify the selectivity of face processing dysfunctions in developmental prosopagnosia.</p>

scholarly journals Functional Specificity In Eye Gaze Processing: Evidence From Developmental Prosopagnosia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoe Little
Keyword(s):  
Face Processing ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Temporal Integration ◽  
Head Rotation ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Spatial Integration ◽  
Gaze Perception ◽  
Functional Specificity ◽  
Face Identity ◽  
Perceptual Stability

<p>The eyes of other people subserve two core functions in human social cognition: gaze perception and face identity recognition. This thesis reports two psychophysical studies that examine the degree of functional specificity between eye gaze processing and face identity processing by testing if various aspects of gaze processing are intact in people with developmental prosopagnosia (DP) – the lifelong inability to recognise face identity. Study 1 investigates spatial integration in eye gaze perception using two tasks. DP and control participants completed one task that measured perception of gaze direction from the two eyes and another that measured the Wollaston illusion (whereby perceived eye gaze is pulled by head rotation; requiring the integration of eye and head direction). Study 2 investigates temporal integration in eye gaze perception using two tasks. The first task measured adaptation effects in eye gaze perception, which reflects sensitivity to gaze direction and its sensory representations. The second task measured serial dependence in gaze perception, which reflects temporal integration of gaze direction and its perceptual stability. Despite their deficits in recognising face identity, DP participants showed normal gaze processing across all studies. These results demonstrate the functional specificity of gaze processing and imply that gaze perception is carried out by dedicated mechanisms not used for processing identity. Our findings align with models of face processing that posit distinct pathways for gaze and identity analysis, and further clarify the selectivity of face processing dysfunctions in developmental prosopagnosia.</p>

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.

A Study of Impaired Judgment of Eye-Gaze Direction and Related Face-Processing Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Perception ◽  
10.1068/p5442 ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 35 (12) ◽  
pp. 1651-1664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Wallace ◽  
Michael Coleman ◽  
Olivier Pascalis ◽  
Anthony Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Face Processing ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Processing Deficits

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.

Objects Capture Perceived Gaze Direction

2006 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janek S. Lobmaier ◽  
Martin H. Fischer ◽  
Adrian Schwaninger
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Local Features ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Head Orientation ◽  
Gaze Perception ◽  
Mouse Cursor ◽  
Fixation Points ◽  
Normal Adults

The interpretation of another person's eye gaze is a key element of social cognition. Previous research has established that this ability develops early in life and is influenced by the person's head orientation, as well as local features of the person's eyes. Here we show that the presence of objects in the attended space also has an impact on gaze interpretation. Eleven normal adults identified the fixation points of photographed faces with a mouse cursor. Their responses were systematically biased toward the locations of nearby objects. This capture of perceived gaze direction probably reflects the attribution of intentionality and has methodological implications for research on gaze perception.

scholarly journals Anticipating intentional actions: The effect of eye gaze direction on the judgment of head rotation

Cognition ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 112 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Hudson ◽  
Chang Hong Liu ◽  
Tjeerd Jellema
Keyword(s):  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Head Rotation ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Intentional Actions

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.

The Bogart Effect

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Gilad-Gutnick ◽  
Rohan Varma ◽  
Pawan Sinha
Keyword(s):  
Visual System ◽  
Real World ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Gaze Estimation ◽  
Gaze Perception ◽  
Estimation Strategy ◽  
The Past ◽  
Curvature Information ◽  
Eye Gaze Estimation

While a geometry-based eye-gaze estimation strategy has been the basis of many theories regarding the direction of one’s gaze, such a strategy relies on relatively detailed curvature information and therefore functions suboptimally under low-resolution viewing conditions. Partly in response to this concern, the past decade has seen the rise of luminance-based theories of eye-gaze estimation. The idea of luminance-based estimation of gaze direction arose from the observation that contrast negation affects eye-gaze perception, and an early demonstration and possible explanation for this phenomenon was offered by Sinha and named the “Bogart effect.” The Bogart Effect is an illusion of perceived gaze reversal in contrast negated images. It provides clues regarding the heuristics the visual system uses to robustly estimate gaze in real-world settings. This chapter discusses this illusion and related concepts.

scholarly journals Recognition of Emotion from Facial Expressions with Direct or Averted Eye Gaze and Varying Expression Intensities in Children with Autism Disorder and Typically Developing Children

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina Tell ◽  
Denise Davidson ◽  
Linda A. Camras
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Emotional Expressions ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Expression Intensity ◽  
Autism Disorder

Eye gaze direction and expression intensity effects on emotion recognition in children with autism disorder and typically developing children were investigated. Children with autism disorder and typically developing children identified happy and angry expressions equally well. Children with autism disorder, however, were less accurate in identifying fear expressions across intensities and eye gaze directions. Children with autism disorder rated expressions with direct eyes, and 50% expressions, as more intense than typically developing children. A trend was also found for sad expressions, as children with autism disorder were less accurate in recognizing sadness at 100% intensity with direct eyes than typically developing children. Although the present research showed that children with autism disorder are sensitive to eye gaze direction, impairments in the recognition of fear, and possibly sadness, exist. Furthermore, children with autism disorder and typically developing children perceive the intensity of emotional expressions differently.

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