Condition-specific changes in gaze allocation following gaze-triggered interpersonal-distance outcomes

Interpersonal distance is a fundamental social cue, yet it remains unclear whether repeated exposure to gaze-triggered approach or recede animations is associated with subsequent gaze allocation. This study examined whether such gaze-triggered changes in apparent interpersonal distance were associated with changes in dwell-time allocation toward face stimuli. Fifty adults completed two within-subject blocks (Approach vs. Recede), each consisting of Baseline, Training, and Test phases. During Training, fixating a designated face for a gaze-duration threshold triggered a predefined approach or recede animation that proceeded independently of subsequent gaze behavior, while the comparison face remained static. Gaze allocation was operationalized as the proportion of dwell time directed toward the face associated with the gaze-triggered animation and was assessed during the static Baseline and Test phases. Linear mixed-effects analyses revealed a significant Condition × Phase interaction: dwell-time proportion decreased from Baseline to Test following gaze-triggered approach animations, whereas no reliable group-level change was observed following recede animations. These findings indicate that repeated exposure to gaze-triggered changes in apparent interpersonal distance is associated with systematic changes in subsequent gaze allocation. The approach-related reduction suggests that gaze-triggered distance changes may redistribute later gaze allocation rather than simply increasing looking toward the stimulus associated with approach. The observed effects do not imply subjective evaluation, value acquisition, or a specific learning mechanism. This paradigm provides a controlled approach for examining how gaze-triggered interpersonal-distance changes are associated with later attentional allocation. OPEN PRACTICES STATEMENT: De-identified trial-level data and analysis code for this study are available via the Open Science Framework: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/EG4B6 . This study was not preregistered.