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

Cal Poly Humboldt 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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