Subliminal gaze cues increase preference levels for items in the gaze direction
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Updated: Feb 24, 2026

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects
Published on: November 30, 2018
Takashi Mitsuda1, Syuta Masaki1
1a College of Information Science and Engineering , Ritsumeikan University , Kusatsu , Shiga.
Abstract:
Another individual's gaze automatically shifts an observer's attention to a location. This reflexive response occurs even when the gaze is presented subliminally over a short period. Another's gaze also increases the preference level for items in the gaze direction; however, it was previously unclear if this effect occurs when the gaze is presented subliminally. This study showed that the preference levels for nonsense figures looked at by a subliminal gaze were significantly greater than those for items that were subliminally looked away from (Task 1). Targets that were looked at by a subliminal gaze were detected faster (Task 2); however, the participants were unable to detect the gaze direction (Task 3). These results indicate that another individual's gaze automatically increases the preference levels for items in the gaze direction without conscious awareness.
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