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From gaze aversion to eye‐movement suppression: An investigation of the cognitive interference explanation of gaze patterns during conversation
Author(s) -
Ehrlichman Howard
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
british journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 2044-8309
pISSN - 0144-6665
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8309.1981.tb00492.x
Subject(s) - gaze , psychology , eye movement , conversation , eye tracking , saccadic masking , cognitive psychology , cognition , active listening , communication , computer vision , computer science , neuroscience , psychoanalysis
To test the commonly held assumption that people avert gaze during dyadic conversation to reduce cognitive interference engendered by the visual presence of the other participant's face, cognitive interference while answering questions was assessed when the interviewer's face was either visible on a video screen or not visible, and when subjects were either required to look continuously at the screen or were permitted free eye movements. Data from 88 female subjects revealed no evidence of greater interference during continuous gaze at the face, providing no support for the interference explanation of gaze patterns. Electro‐oculographic recording of subjects' eye movements also indicated that the visual presence or absence of the face affected gaze and eye movements only when subjects were listening to the question. When thinking and speaking, subjects tended to look away from the screen and produced relatively high rates of eye movements irrespective of the stimulus displayed on the screen. The results suggest that gaze during conversation may be a function of two opposing tendencies, the tendency to monitor the other's facial expressions and the tendency to make saccadic eye movements during thinking and speaking.