The right eye for fixations: Eye asymmetries modulate gaze patterns towards speakers

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Social Neuroscience
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Eye contact is fundamental to social interactions, with listeners typically focusing on a speaker's eyes.
• Previous research suggests a left perceptual bias in eye contact, directing attention to the speaker's right side.
• This bias has been linked to hemispheric specialization and the social function of gaze.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the systematic bias in eye contact during social interactions.
• To examine how factors like eye size (sclera visibility) and communicative context modulate this bias.
• To determine if the observed bias is purely perceptual or influenced by social factors.

Main Methods:

• Two eye-tracking experiments were conducted using both human and virtual human speakers.
• Participants' gaze patterns were recorded while interacting with speakers.
• Analysis focused on fixation duration and location on the speaker's face, particularly the eyes.

Main Results:

• A systematic bias towards the right eye of the speaker was confirmed.
• Larger eyes (increased sclera visibility) attracted more fixations, potentially overriding the leftward bias.
• Gaze patterns differed based on whether the speaker was actively talking or silent, indicating a role for communicative events.

Conclusions:

• The left perceptual bias in eye contact is real but not solely perceptual.
• Social functions and communicative context significantly modulate gaze behavior towards the speaker's eyes.
• Face-scanning behavior is a dynamic process influenced by social cues and communication.