Dataset Information

Eye blinks are perceived as communicative signals in human face-to-face interaction.

ABSTRACT: In face-to-face communication, recurring intervals of mutual gaze allow listeners to provide speakers with visual feedback (e.g. nodding). Here, we investigate the potential feedback function of one of the subtlest of human movements-eye blinking. While blinking tends to be subliminal, the significance of mutual gaze in human interaction raises the question whether the interruption of mutual gaze through blinking may also be communicative. To answer this question, we developed a novel, virtual reality-based experimental paradigm, which enabled us to selectively manipulate blinking in a virtual listener, creating small differences in blink duration resulting in 'short' (208 ms) and 'long' (607 ms) blinks. We found that speakers unconsciously took into account the subtle differences in listeners' blink duration, producing substantially shorter answers in response to long listener blinks. Our findings suggest that, in addition to physiological, perceptual and cognitive functions, listener blinks are also perceived as communicative signals, directly influencing speakers' communicative behavior in face-to-face communication. More generally, these findings may be interpreted as shedding new light on the evolutionary origins of mental-state signaling, which is a crucial ingredient for achieving mutual understanding in everyday social interaction.

SUBMITTER: Homke P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6291193 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Eye blinks are perceived as communicative signals in human face-to-face interaction.

Hömke Paul P Holler Judith J Levinson Stephen C SC

PloS one 20181212 12

In face-to-face communication, recurring intervals of mutual gaze allow listeners to provide speakers with visual feedback (e.g. nodding). Here, we investigate the potential feedback function of one of the subtlest of human movements-eye blinking. While blinking tends to be subliminal, the significance of mutual gaze in human interaction raises the question whether the interruption of mutual gaze through blinking may also be communicative. To answer this question, we developed a novel, virtual r ...[more]

PMID: 30540819

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Project description:ObjectiveThe pathophysiology of Chronic Tic Disorders (CTDs), including Tourette Syndrome, remains poorly understood. The goal of this study was to compare neural activity and connectivity during a voluntary movement (VM) paradigm that involved cued eye blinks among children with and without CTDs. Using the precise temporal resolution of electroencephalography (EEG), we used the timing and location of cortical source resolved spectral power activation and connectivity to map component processes such as visual attention, cue detection, blink regulation and response monitoring. We hypothesized that neural activation and connectivity during the cued eye blink paradigm would be significantly different in regions typically associated with effortful control of eye blinks, such as frontal, premotor, parietal, and occipital cortices between children with and without CTD.MethodParticipants were 40 children (23 with CTD, 17 age-matched Healthy Control [HC]), between the ages of 8-12 (mean age = 9.5) years old. All participants underwent phenotypic assessment including diagnostic interviews, behavior rating scales and 128-channel EEG recording. Upon presentation of a cue every 3 s, children were instructed to make an exaggerated blink.ResultsBehaviorally, the groups did not differ in blink number, latency, or ERP amplitude. Within source resolved clusters located in left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate, and supplemental motor area, children with CTD exhibited higher gamma band spectral power relative to controls. In addition, significant diagnostic group differences in theta, alpha, and beta band power in inferior parietal cortex emerged. Spectral power differences were significantly associated with clinical characteristics such as tic severity and premonitory urge strength. After calculating dipole density for 76 anatomical regions, the CTD and HC groups had 70% overlap of top regions with the highest dipole density, suggesting that similar cortical networks were used across groups to carry out the VM. The CTD group exhibited significant information flow increase and dysregulation relative to the HC group, particularly from occipital to frontal regions.ConclusionChildren with CTD exhibit abnormally high levels of neural activation and dysregulated connectivity among networks used for regulation and effortful control of voluntary eye blinks.

Dataset Information

Eye blinks are perceived as communicative signals in human face-to-face interaction.

Publications

Eye blinks are perceived as communicative signals in human face-to-face interaction.

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