Gazing Without Eyes: A "Stare-in-the-Crowd" Effect Induced by Simple Geometric Shapes. (July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Colombatto, Clara; van Buren, Benjamin; Scholl, Brian J.
• Is Part Of: Perception. Volume 49:Number 7(2020)
• Page Start: 782
• Page End: 792
• Publication Date: 2020-07
• Subjects: eye contact -- direct gaze -- stare in the crowd -- intentionality -- mind contact; Perception -- Periodicals; Perception -- Periodicals; Perception; Periodicals; 153.705
• DOI: 10.1177/0301006620934320
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0301-0066

Abstract

Of the many effects that eye contact has, perhaps the most powerful is the stare-in-the-crowd effect, wherein faces are detected more readily when they look directly toward you. This is commonly attributed to others' eyes being especially salient visual stimuli, but here we ask whether stares-in-the-crowd might arise instead from a deeper property that the eyes (but not only the eyes) signify: the direction of others' attention and intentions. In fact, even simple geometric shapes can be seen as intentional, as when numerous randomly scattered cones are all consistently pointing at you . Accordingly, we show here that cones directed at the observer are detected faster (in fields of averted cones) than are cones averted away from the observer (in fields of directed cones). These results suggest that perceived intentionality itself captures attention—and that even in the absence of eyes, others' directed attention stands out in a crowd.