Hessels Roy S, Cornelissen Tim H W, Hooge Ignace T C, Kemner Chantal
Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University.
Can J Exp Psychol. 2017 Sep;71(3):226-242. doi: 10.1037/cep0000113. Epub 2017 Jun 12.
A long-standing hypothesis is that humans have a bias for fixating the eye region in the faces of others. Most studies have tested this hypothesis with static images or videos of faces, yet recent studies suggest that the use of such "nonresponsive" stimuli might overlook an influence of social context. The present study addressed whether the bias for fixating the eye region in faces would persist in a situation that allowed for social interaction. In Experiment 1, we demonstrate a setup in which a duo could engage in social interaction while their eye movements were recorded. Here, we show that there is a bias for fixating the eye region of a partner that is physically present. Moreover, we report that the time 1 partner in a duo spends looking at the eyes is a good predictor of how long the other partner looks at the eyes. In Experiment 2, we investigate whether participants attune to the level of eye contact instigated by a partner by having a confederate pose as one of the partners. The confederate was subsequently instructed to either fixate the eyes of the observer or scan the entire face. Gaze behaviour of the confederate did not affect gaze behaviour of the observers. We conclude that there is a bias to fixate the eyes when partners can engage in social interaction. In addition, the amount of time spent looking at the eyes is duo-dependent, but not easily manipulated by instructing the gaze behaviour of 1 partner. (PsycINFO Database Record
一个长期存在的假设是，人类在注视他人面部时倾向于注视眼睛区域。大多数研究都使用面部的静态图像或视频来检验这一假设，但最近的研究表明，使用这种“无反应”刺激可能会忽略社会背景的影响。本研究探讨了在允许社会互动的情况下，对面部眼睛区域的注视偏好是否会持续存在。在实验1中，我们展示了一种设置，即一对人在记录他们的眼动时可以进行社会互动。在这里，我们表明存在注视在场伙伴眼睛区域的偏好。此外，我们报告说，一对人中一方注视对方眼睛的时间是预测另一方注视对方眼睛时长的良好指标。在实验2中，我们通过让一名同伙扮演其中一方的角色，来研究参与者是否会根据伙伴引发的眼神交流程度进行调整。随后，要求同伙要么注视观察者的眼睛，要么扫视整个面部。同伙的注视行为并未影响观察者的注视行为。我们得出结论，当伙伴能够进行社会互动时，存在注视眼睛的偏好。此外，注视眼睛的时间量取决于两人组合，但不容易通过指示一方的注视行为来操纵。（《心理学文摘数据库记录》）
