YawnStim: a standardized and diverse video stimulus set.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Social Cognition

Background:

• Contagious yawning is a well-documented phenomenon in humans, often studied using video stimuli.
• Individual differences in contagious yawning correlate with social cognition abilities.
• Existing video stimulus sets lack diversity and standardization, hindering cross-study comparisons and generalizability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce YawnStim, a novel, free, and diverse video stimulus set for studying contagious yawning.
• To provide a standardized tool for researchers investigating the link between contagious yawning and social cognition.
• To address the limitations of previous stimulus sets regarding participant diversity and consistency.

Main Methods:

• YawnStim comprises standardized experimental and control videos featuring a diverse sample (Caucasian, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian).
• Videos are categorized into four conditions: uncovered yawns, covered yawns, mouth closed controls, and mouth gaping controls.
• A series of five within-subjects laboratory experiments were conducted to validate the YawnStim stimulus package.

Main Results:

• Validation experiments and meta-analyses confirmed that both uncovered and covered yawning conditions significantly amplified self-reported yawning.
• The standardized nature of YawnStim facilitates reliable data collection across different experimental settings.
• Results underscore the effectiveness of the developed stimulus set in eliciting contagious yawning responses.

Conclusions:

• YawnStim offers a valuable, standardized, and diverse resource for researchers in social cognition and psychology.
• The stimulus set addresses critical limitations in existing materials, promoting more robust and generalizable research findings.
• Further research can utilize YawnStim for validation and exploration of contagious yawning in various contexts.