Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026
07:36
Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects
Published on: November 30, 2018
Top-down guidance in visual search for facial expressions
1Department of Psychology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA. sowon@ou.edu
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|June 5, 2007
Summary
Top-down goals influence attentional bias for facial expressions. Threatening faces capture attention more when aligned with a specific goal, impacting visual search efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Attentional bias towards threatening stimuli is well-documented.
- The role of top-down goals in modulating this bias requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how top-down goals affect attentional bias for threatening facial expressions.
- To determine if angry faces are prioritized independently of or in conjunction with task goals.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a visual search paradigm with two experiments.
- Manipulated search criteria: stimulus characteristics versus a specific top-down goal.
- Analyzed response time (RT) slopes and RT distribution.
Main Results:
- Shallower RT slopes for angry compared to happy faces when searching for a discrepant expression.
- Angry faces did not show superiority when presented against the task goal.
- Angry face prioritization was evident only when combined with a top-down goal.
Conclusions:
- Threatening facial expressions may act as high-priority stimuli without a specific goal.
- Goal-directed search efficiency for facial expressions depends on the interplay between top-down goals and stimulus characteristics.
- The 'angry face superiority effect' is context-dependent and influenced by goal-directed attention.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Facial Feedback Hypothesis
Charles Darwin proposed that facial expressions are an evolutionary adaptation for communication. He argued that these expressions are not influenced by culture but are universal across species. For example, a snarling expression with exposed teeth signals a threat in many animals, including humans. Darwin also suggested that displaying an emotion can intensify the feeling. Smiling, for example, could enhance one's sense of happiness. This idea laid the foundation for understanding the role of...
01:21Association Areas of the Cortex
Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
01:29Non-Verbal Cues
Non-verbal communication extends beyond gestures and facial expressions to include vocal elements known as paralanguage. Paralanguage consists of non-verbal vocal cues such as pitch, loudness, speech rate, pauses, and non-verbal vocalizations like laughter, sighs, and moans. These elements not only accompany speech but also provide critical emotional and contextual information.The Role of Paralanguage in CommunicationParalanguage adds depth to spoken language by conveying emotions and...
01:21Gestalt Principles of Perception
Gestalt principles provide a framework for understanding how humans perceive objects as unified wholes within their context. These principles are essential in explaining the cognitive processes that make sense of complex visual stimuli by organizing them into coherent groups. One fundamental principle is proximity, which posits that objects located close to each other are perceived as a collective group. For instance, when dots are positioned near one another, the visual system interprets them...
01:14Muscles for Facial Expressions
The craniofacial muscles are a collection of approximately 20 thin skeletal muscles situated beneath the skin of the face and scalp. These muscles, primarily responsible for the vast array of human facial expressions, originate from the bones or fibrous structures of the skull and extend outwards to connect with the skin. While most skeletal muscles in the body are enveloped in thick fascia, facial muscles generally have a more delicate fascial covering, with the buccinator muscle being a...