title: Using eye tracking to test for individual differences in attention to attractive faces.
abstract: We assessed individual differences in visual attention toward faces in relation to their attractiveness via saccadic reaction times. Motivated by the aim to understand individual differences in attention to faces, we tested three hypotheses: (a) Attractive faces hold or capture attention more effectively than less attractive faces; (b) men show a stronger bias toward attractive opposite-sex faces than women; and (c) blue-eyed men show a stronger bias toward blue-eyed than brown-eyed feminine faces. The latter test was included because prior research suggested a high effect size. Our data supported hypotheses (a) and (b) but not (c). By conducting separate tests for disengagement of attention and attention capture, we found that individual differences exist at distinct stages of attentional processing but these differences are of varying robustness and importance. In our conclusion, we also advocate the use of linear mixed effects models as the most appropriate statistical approach for studying inter-individual differences in visual attention with naturalistic stimuli.
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Science Research Platform, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria ; Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Valuch
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Science Research Platform, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria ; Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Lena S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Pflüger
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria ; Department of Behavioural Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wallner
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oslo Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Laeng
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ansorge
keywords: attention; attractiveness; dot probe; eye color; faces; gap effect; gender; linear mixed effects models