Physiologic correlates of direct and averted gaze

The present study was designed to explore the effects of reciprocated and unreciprocated gaze upon skin conductance and heart rate response. A paradigm used previously to investigate maternal response to infant gaze was selected which allowed us to consider possible order effects, sex differences and differential rates of habituation in response to direct and averted gaze. Twenty-four males and 24 females were shown 10 sec silent images of an adult face on a videotape monitor of an adult face. In one condition, the en face position offered eye contact; in the other condition, eye contact was not possible. Each subject viewed a sequence of six identical episodes of one condition followed by six episodes of the other condition. Analysis of skin conductance response revealed a significant effect of stimulus sex (p less than 0.05) with the male stimulus figures eliciting the greater skin conductance response. HR responses to the two conditions varied not only as a function of stimulus sex but also as a function of the viewer's sex. The most distinctive data came from a male viewing another male. For this group alone, responding was consistent to unreciprocated gaze viewed first (p less than 0.01) and viewed second (p less than 0.05); and for this group alone responding to reciprocated gaze viewed first habituated (p less than 0.05).