A novel perceptual trait: gaze predilection for faces during visual exploration.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Laboratory test-retest observational study; Level 4 by design analogy, not clinical CEBM.
PubMed 31341217 · doi:10.1038/s41598-019-47110-x
What was done
The authors conducted two test-retest laboratory experiments measuring the amount of time individuals fixated directly on faces embedded in images of naturally occurring scenes during visual exploration. They evaluated whether individual differences in gaze predilection for faces remained stable across time and tasks, and examined potential associations with low-level visual saliency (color, intensity, orientation) and Big-Five personality traits.
What was found
The authors reported stable individual differences in visual predilection for faces across time and tasks. This face-gaze preference was not accounted for by fixation on low-level salient image features or by Big-Five personality traits. The abstract reports no numerical values, test-retest correlation coefficients, or effect sizes.
Why it matters
This study identifies gaze predilection for faces as a stable individual perceptual trait, suggesting people systematically differ in how much social information they gather during scene exploration.
Limits
The abstract does not disclose participant sample size, demographics, time intervals between test-retest sessions, or quantitative statistics. Laboratory viewing of static images may not capture dynamic real-world social interaction.
Cited by
- supports Individual differences in the tendency to look at faces versus distractors are temporally stable across time in the general population.