title: The shared signal hypothesis: effects of emotion-gaze congruency in infant and adult visual preferences.
abstract: In this study, 4-month-old infants' and adults' spontaneous preferences for emotional and neutral displays with direct and averted gaze are investigated using visual preference paradigms. Specifically, by presenting two approach-oriented emotions (happiness and anger) and two avoidance-oriented emotions (fear and sadness), we asked whether the pattern of emotion-gaze interaction suggested by the shared signal hypothesis (SSH) would also be found with this paradigm. Both age groups demonstrated an ability to discern the approach- and avoidance-oriented emotions, matching them with direct and averted gaze, respectively. Nonetheless, infants showed a greater sensitivity for the congruent emotion-gaze combination in the approach-oriented emotions, while adults were equally sensitive to the gaze-expression congruence for both the approach- and avoidance-oriented emotions. In a follow-up experiment, infants showed no preference for direct or averted gaze in the context of neutral faces. We conclude that the SSH may have validity from infancy, gradually extending from approach-oriented emotions to avoidance-oriented emotions over the course of development.
authors: University of London, UK. s.rigato2bbk.ac.uk
authors: Silvia
authors: S
authors: Rigato
authors: Enrica
authors: E
authors: Menon
authors: Teresa
authors: T
authors: Farroni
authors: Mark H
authors: MH
authors: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000786:Anger; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004644:Emotions; D005149:Facial Expression; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors; D014796:Visual Perception; D055815:Young Adult