title: Emotional communication in the context of joint attention for food stimuli: effects on attentional and affective processing.
abstract: Guided by distinct theoretical frameworks (the embodiment theories, shared-signal hypothesis, and appraisal theories), we examined the effects of gaze direction and emotional expressions (joy, disgust, and neutral) of virtual characters on attention orienting and affective reactivity of participants while they were engaged in joint attention for food stimuli contrasted by preference (disliked, moderately liked, and liked). The participants were exposed to videos of avatars looking at food and displaying facial expressions with their gaze directed either toward the food only or toward the food and participants consecutively. We recorded eye-tracking responses, heart rate, facial electromyography (zygomatic, corrugator, and levator labii regions), and food wanting/liking. The avatars' joy faces increased the participants' zygomatic reactions and food liking, with mutual eye contact boosting attentional responses. Eye contact also fostered disgust reactions to disliked food, regardless of the avatars' expressions. The findings show that joint attention for food accompanied by face-to-face emotional communication elicits differential attentional and affective responses. The findings appear consistent with the appraisal theories of emotion.
authors.affiliation: Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne-Inra, Dijon, France. Electronic address: rsoussignan@sfr.fr.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Soussignan
authors.affiliation: Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne-Inra, Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Benoist
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schaal
authors.affiliation: Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne-Inra, Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Boulanger
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, UMR 5292 CNRS-Inserm, Université de Lyon 1, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, UMR 5292 CNRS-Inserm, Université de Lyon 1, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D004576:Electromyography; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Communication; Emotion; Facial expressions; Food; Gaze direction; Joint attention