The emotional response to social gaze is a domain specific cognitive mechanism

Graduation Date

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Other

Program

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, Psychology: Academic Research, 2016

Committee Chair Name

Ethan Gahtan

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Cognitive mechanism, Domain specificity, Social gaze, Skin conductance response, Eye contact, Humboldt State University -- Theses -- Psychology

Abstract

Eye contact with another person (social gaze) activates the autonomic nervous system, which is measurable using the skin conductance response (SCR). This study tested a 'domain specificity' model of the social gaze response mechanism by comparing emotional responses during social gaze and 'self-gaze' (looking in a mirror) conditions. Domain specific mechanisms have narrow responses properties and domain general mechanisms have broad ones, and this difference has implications for understanding how cognitive abilities evolved. I reasoned that if SCR's differed between trials, it would support domain specificity. I compared SCR's during social gaze and self-gaze in forty-seven participant pairs. Each participant engaged in ten, 20 s trials, alternating between social gaze and self-gaze. Social gaze produced significantly larger SCRs and a greater number of SCRs compared to self-gaze. These results suggest that the social gaze response mechanism is domain specific. Implications for understanding gaze response deficits in psychological disorders are discussed.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/jw827f167

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