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Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory
08:06

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The eye contact effect: mechanisms and development.

Atsushi Senju1, Mark H Johnson

  • 1Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK. a.senju@bbk.ac.uk

Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|February 17, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The eye contact effect influences cognitive processing by modulating social brain activity. A fast-track modulator model suggests a subcortical route initially detects eye contact, influencing subsequent social brain processing.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Social Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • The eye contact effect describes how perceiving eye contact modulates cognitive processing.
  • Functional imaging shows eye contact affects the social brain network in adults.
  • Developmental studies indicate early preferential processing of direct gaze.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review existing theories of the eye contact effect.
  • To propose a novel 'fast-track modulator' model for eye contact processing.
  • To explain the neural mechanisms underlying the eye contact effect.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on the eye contact effect.
  • Analysis of functional imaging studies in adults.
  • Examination of developmental studies on face and gaze processing.

Main Results:

  • The eye contact effect influences concurrent and subsequent cognitive processing.
  • Eye contact modulates activity within the social brain network.
  • A subcortical route is hypothesized for initial eye contact detection.

Conclusions:

  • The 'fast-track modulator' model integrates subcortical and cortical processing of eye contact.
  • Perceived eye contact is rapidly detected via a subcortical pathway.
  • This initial detection modulates social brain network activity for detailed sensory processing.