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How does gaze to faces support face-to-face interaction? A review and perspective
1Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands. royhessels@gmail.com.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|May 6, 2020
Summary
Gaze behavior is crucial for social interaction. This review proposes a dynamic systems framework to understand how looking at faces supports real-time social engagement and regulates interactions.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Social Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Gaze is fundamental to human social behavior and communication.
- Existing reviews lack a comprehensive framework for gaze in face-to-face interaction.
- Understanding gaze patterns is key to deciphering social cues and interaction dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review how gaze allocation to facial regions informs successful interaction.
- To examine human gaze patterns towards faces in interactive contexts.
- To explore the role of gaze in regulating social interactions.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature review spanning psychophysical, observational, and eye-tracking research.
- Analysis of studies in both laboratory and interactive settings.
- Synthesis of findings to propose a theoretical framework.
Main Results:
- Gaze allocation to specific facial regions is critical for information acquisition during interaction.
- Human gaze patterns are complex and influenced by interactive demands.
- Gaze actively regulates the flow and timing of social exchanges.
Conclusions:
- A dynamic systems theory framework is proposed for understanding gaze in interaction.
- Gaze should be studied in relation to interactional sub-states across various timescales.
- This framework has implications for vision science, psychopathology, developmental science, and social robotics.
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