EPS Mid-Career Award 2009: From Observation to Action Simulation: The Role of Attention, Eye-Gaze, Emotion, and Body State

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce and examine the effect of a celebrity’s eye gaze on self-celebrity connection. A celebrity’s direct (vs averted) eye gaze can be used as a tactic in social media posts to increase self-celebrity connection and behavioral intentions. Examining the effectiveness of a celebrity’s eye gaze is important, as celebrities regularly use social media to manage their brand image and to build a relationship with consumers. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 examines the effect of a celebrity’s eye gaze (direct vs averted) on self-celebrity connection. Study 2 investigates the role of celebrity authenticity in explaining the effect of a celebrity’s eye gaze on consumer–celebrity brand relationships. Study 3 examines the moderating role of a non-Duchenne smile (fake, social smile) in diluting the effect of a celebrity’s direct eye gaze on self-celebrity connection and the downstream consequences on behavioral intentions. Findings The findings from Study 1 indicate that a celebrity’s direct (averted) eye gaze strengthens (weakens) self-celebrity connection. Study 2 provides evidence of celebrity authenticity as the explanation for stronger consumer–celebrity connection when a celebrity is featured with a direct eye gaze. The results of Study 3 show that a fake smile in a celebrity’s social media posts can weaken relationships with and behavioral intentions toward celebrities with a direct eye gaze. Research limitations/implications This paper is limited, as it focuses only on eye gaze and smiles as non-verbal cues depicted in celebrity images on social media. Practical implications This paper has important implications for celebrities, celebrity brand managers (including digital/social media marketing managers and public relations professionals) and advertisers. Celebrities, celebrity brand managers and advertisers should develop social media posts that can strengthen consumer–celebrity relationships and positively influence behaviors toward the celebrity through: 1) ensuring that photographs are taken with the celebrity looking directly into the camera at the target (audience); and 2) avoiding posting images of a celebrity’s direct eye gaze with a non-Duchenne (fake) smile. Originality/value This paper introduces and provides evidence of a celebrity’s direct eye gaze–self-celebrity relationship effect. Tactics, such as eye gaze, can strengthen consumer–celebrity relationships, which is crucial in building brand equity and in increasing financial value for the celebrity.

Download Full-text

Eye contact enhances interpersonal motor resonance: comparing video stimuli to a live two-person action context

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience ◽

10.1093/scan/nsz064 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (9) ◽

pp. 967-976 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Jellina Prinsen ◽

Kaat Alaerts

Keyword(s):

Visual Attention ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Ecological Validity ◽

Eye Gaze ◽

Eye Contact ◽

Social Responsiveness ◽

Gaze Behavior ◽

Motor Resonance ◽

Action Context

Abstract Previous research has shown a link between eye contact and interpersonal motor resonance, indicating that the mirroring of observed movements is enhanced when accompanied with mutual eye contact between actor and observer. Here, we further explored the role of eye contact within a naturalistic two-person action context. Twenty-two participants observed simple hand movements combined with direct or averted gaze presented via a live model in a two-person setting or via video recordings, while transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) to measure changes in M1 excitability. Skin conductance responses and gaze behavior were also measured to investigate the role of arousal and visual attention herein. Eye contact significantly enhanced excitability of the observer’s M1 during movement observation within a two-person setting. Notably, participants with higher social responsiveness (Social Communication subscale of the Social Responsiveness Scale) displayed a more pronounced modulation of M1 excitability by eye gaze. Gaze-related modulations in M1 excitability were, however, not associated with differences in visual attention or autonomic arousal. In summary, the current study highlights the effectiveness and feasibility of adopting paradigms with high ecological validity for studying the modulation of mirror system processes by subtle social cues, such as eye gaze.

Download Full-text

Causal Role of the Sensorimotor Cortex in Action Simulation: Neuropsychological Evidence

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn.2010.21577 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 23 (8) ◽

pp. 2068-2078 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Barbara Tomasino ◽

Miran Skrap ◽

Raffaella Ida Rumiati

Keyword(s):

Sensorimotor Cortex ◽

Body Part ◽

Conclusive Evidence ◽

Causal Role ◽

Action Simulation ◽

Neurosurgical Patients ◽

Higher Cognitive Functions ◽

Neuropsychological Evidence ◽

Hand Action

Interest in sensorimotor cortex involvement in higher cognitive functions has recently been revived, although whether the cortex actually contributes to the simulation of body part movements has not yet been established. Neurosurgical patients with selective lesions to the hand sensorimotor representation offer a unique opportunity to demonstrate that the sensorimotor cortex plays a causal role in hand action simulations. Patients with damage to hand representation showed a selective deficit in simulating hand movements compared with object movements (Experiment 1). This deficit extended to objects when the patients imagined moving them with their own hands while maintaining the ability to visualize them rotating in space (Experiment 2). The data provide conclusive evidence for a causal role of the sensorimotor cortex in the continuous update of sensorimotor representations while individuals mentally simulate motor acts.

Download Full-text

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

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-99954-x ◽

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.

Download Full-text

Do the Eyes Have It? A Systematic Review on the Role of Eye Gaze in Infant Language Development

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2020.589096 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Melis Çetinçelik ◽

Caroline F. Rowland ◽

Tineke M. Snijders

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Language Development ◽

Language Learning ◽

Speech Processing ◽

Eye Gaze ◽

Gaze Following ◽

Object Mapping ◽

Attentional Cues ◽

Gaze Cues

Eye gaze is a ubiquitous cue in child–caregiver interactions, and infants are highly attentive to eye gaze from very early on. However, the question of why infants show gaze-sensitive behavior, and what role this sensitivity to gaze plays in their language development, is not yet well-understood. To gain a better understanding of the role of eye gaze in infants' language learning, we conducted a broad systematic review of the developmental literature for all studies that investigate the role of eye gaze in infants' language development. Across 77 peer-reviewed articles containing data from typically developing human infants (0–24 months) in the domain of language development, we identified two broad themes. The first tracked the effect of eye gaze on four developmental domains: (1) vocabulary development, (2) word–object mapping, (3) object processing, and (4) speech processing. Overall, there is considerable evidence that infants learn more about objects and are more likely to form word–object mappings in the presence of eye gaze cues, both of which are necessary for learning words. In addition, there is good evidence for longitudinal relationships between infants' gaze following abilities and later receptive and expressive vocabulary. However, many domains (e.g., speech processing) are understudied; further work is needed to decide whether gaze effects are specific to tasks, such as word–object mapping or whether they reflect a general learning enhancement mechanism. The second theme explored the reasons why eye gaze might be facilitative for learning, addressing the question of whether eye gaze is treated by infants as a specialized socio-cognitive cue. We concluded that the balance of evidence supports the idea that eye gaze facilitates infants' learning by enhancing their arousal, memory, and attentional capacities to a greater extent than other low-level attentional cues. However, as yet, there are too few studies that directly compare the effect of eye gaze cues and non-social, attentional cues for strong conclusions to be drawn. We also suggest that there might be a developmental effect, with eye gaze, over the course of the first 2 years of life, developing into a truly ostensive cue that enhances language learning across the board.

Download Full-text

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

10.1101/149112 ◽

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.

Download Full-text

Risk-Promoting Effects of Reward-Paired Cues in Human Sign- and Goal-Trackers

10.31234/osf.io/rxbpw ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mariya Cherkasova ◽

Eve Limbrick-Oldfield ◽

Luke Clark ◽

Jason J. S. Barton ◽

A. Jon Stoessl ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Eye Gaze ◽

Cost Benefit ◽

Incentive Salience ◽

Healthy Human ◽

Sign Tracking ◽

Reward Delivery ◽

Human Volunteers ◽

Within Subjects ◽

Goal Tracking

The incentive sensitization theory of addiction proposes that through repeated associations with addictive rewards, addiction-related stimuli acquire a disproportionately powerful motivational pull on behaviour. Animal research suggests trait-like individual variation in the degree of incentive salience attribution to reward-predictive cues, defined phenotypically as sign-tracking (high) and goal-tracking (low incentive salience attribution). While these phenotypes have been linked to addiction features in rodents, their translational validity has been little studied. Here, we examined whether sign- and goal-tracking in healthy human volunteers modulates the effects of reward-paired cues on cost-benefit decision making. Sign-tracking was measured in a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm as the amount of eye gaze fixation on the reward-predictive cue versus the location of impending reward delivery. In Study 1 (Cherkasova et al, 2018), participants were randomly assigned to perform a two-choice lottery task in which rewards were either accompanied (cued, n=63) or unaccompanied (uncued, n=68) by money images and casino jingles. In Study 2, participants (n=58) performed cued and uncued versions of the task in a within-subjects design. Across both studies, cues promoted riskier choice, and both studies yielded evidence of goal-tracking being associated with greater risk-promoting effects of cues. These findings are at odds with the notion of sign-trackers being preferentially susceptible to the influence of reward cues on behavior and point to the role of mechanisms besides incentive salience in mediating such influences.

Download Full-text