An Eye-Tracking Study of Pain Perception Toward Faces with Visible Differences

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Perception

Background:

• Public stigma towards visible facial differences (VFDs) impacts social interactions.
• VFDs alter face perception, directing attention to the difference and away from internal facial features.
• Internal facial features are crucial for conveying emotional information, including pain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how gaze behavior is affected by visible facial differences (VFDs).
• To examine if attention biases caused by VFDs influence pain perception.
• To understand the role of stereotypes in interpreting emotions of individuals with VFDs.

Main Methods:

• An eye-tracking experiment was conducted with 44 participants.
• Participants viewed faces with and without VFDs, expressing or not expressing pain.
• Gaze behavior was recorded, and participants rated perceived pain intensity.

Main Results:

• Visible facial differences (VFDs) significantly diverted participants' attention away from internal, pain-relevant facial features.
• Participants perceived greater pain in faces with VFDs, irrespective of actual pain expression.
• This suggests pain inference was driven by stereotypes associated with VFDs, not facial expressions.

Conclusions:

• Attention biases associated with VFDs can lead to misinterpretations of emotional states.
• Stereotypes about visible facial differences may influence pain perception and emotional interpretation.
• Findings offer insights into the social perception and emotional interpretation of individuals with VFDs.