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A novel perceptual trait: gaze predilection for faces during visual exploration
Nitzan Guy1, Hagar Azulay2, Rasha Kardosh2
1The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel. nitzan.guy@mail.huji.ac.il.
Scientific Reports
|July 26, 2019
Summary
Individual differences in gaze behavior show a stable preference for looking at faces. This visual predilection for social cues influences information gathering and subsequent cognitive processing.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Social neuroscience
- Visual perception
Background:
- Humans are inherently social, seeking interactions and processing social information from visual cues.
- Previous research on gaze behavior focused on general eye movement features, neglecting specific social stimuli like faces.
- Understanding individual variations in face perception is crucial for social cognition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate stable individual differences in visual attention towards faces.
- To determine if face fixation preference is linked to low-level visual salience or personality traits.
- To explore the impact of gaze behavior on information acquisition and cognitive processing.
Main Methods:
- Conducted two test-retest experiments involving participants viewing images with embedded faces.
- Quantified the amount of time individuals fixated directly on faces within natural scenes.
- Controlled for preferences related to low-level visual features (color, intensity, orientation) and assessed Big-Five personality traits.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated stable and robust individual differences in the tendency to fixate on faces across different tasks and time points.
- Found that face fixation preference could not be attributed to a general preference for salient regions.
- Showed no correlation between face fixation preference and individual differences in the Big-Five personality traits.
Conclusions:
- Individuals exhibit consistent variations in directing gaze towards faces during visual exploration.
- This gaze behavior represents a stable trait influencing how much social information is acquired.
- Variations in face-gazing impact the foundation for subsequent cognitive processing and decision-making.
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