Uncovering the cognitive mechanisms underlying the gaze cueing effect

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Social Cognition
• Computational Neuroscience

Background:

• The gaze cueing effect, a robust finding in social cognition, demonstrates faster responses to targets at gazed-at locations.
• Evidence accumulation models typically explain speeded decision-making but are underutilized in social cognition research.
• Understanding the cognitive mechanisms behind gaze cueing is crucial for social information processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply evidence accumulation models to gaze cueing data for the first time.
• To assess the relative contributions of attentional orienting versus information processing mechanisms in gaze cueing.
• To investigate individual differences in the cognitive processes underlying the gaze cueing effect.

Main Methods:

• Utilized individual-level and hierarchical computational modeling techniques.
• Analyzed three gaze cueing datasets comprising 171, 139,001 trials.
• Compared models based on attentional orienting and information processing mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Most participants' gaze cueing effects were best explained by attentional orienting, requiring reorientation to targets.
• A subset of participants showed evidence of parallel orienting and processing due to brief information processing resource allocation.
• Little evidence supported sustained reallocation of information processing resources at group or individual levels.

Conclusions:

• The primary mechanism for gaze cueing in most individuals involves attentional reorientation.
• Individual variability in gaze cueing suggests differences in underlying cognitive mechanisms, including parallel processing.
• Findings highlight the utility of computational modeling in dissecting nuanced cognitive processes in social interactions.