Cited by 797Face Recognition and PerceptionAction Observation and SynchronizationChild and Animal Learning Development

The eye contact effect: mechanisms and development

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Senju, Atsushi, Johnson, Mark H.·2009·Trends in Cognitive Sciences

Abstract

The 'eye contact effect' is the phenomenon that perceived eye contact with another human face modulates certain aspects of the concurrent and/or immediately following cognitive processing. In addition, functional imaging studies in adults have revealed that eye contact can modulate activity in structures in the social brain network, and developmental studies show evidence for preferential orienting towards, and processing of, faces with direct gaze from early in life. We review different theories of the eye contact effect and advance a 'fast-track modulator' model. Specifically, we hypothesize that perceived eye contact is initially detected by a subcortical route, which then modulates the activation of the social brain as it processes the accompanying detailed sensory information.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.tics.2008.11.009

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  • Direct gaze is particularly powerful in capturing attention in adults and newborns.

    “Highly relevant social signals, such as direct gaze, are particularly powerful in capturing attention both in adults and newborns”

    From The social motivation theory of autism (2012) · cites this paper as [7]

  • Direct gaze facilitates face-related tasks such as gender discrimination and identity encoding.

    “they facilitate face-related tasks, such as gender discrimination or encoding of identities [7]”

    From The social motivation theory of autism (2012) · cites this paper as [7]

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Authors
Senju, A., & Johnson, M. H.
Affiliations
Birkbeck, University of London (GB)
Corresponding author
Senju, Atsushi
Venue
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2009-03
Volume
13
Issue
3
Pages
127-134
ISSN
1364-6613 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2149395978
Cited by
797
References
86
Citations by year
2026: 33 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 59 · 2022: 48 · 2021: 64 · 2020: 48 · 2019: 60 · 2018: 60 · 2017: 61 · 2016: 45 · 2015: 58 · 2014: 41 · 2013: 51 · 2012: 34
FWCI
2.09
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Trends in Cognitive Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • BIROn (Birkbeck, University of London) (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Medical Research Council (G0701484)
  • Economic and Social Research Council (ES/G007322/1)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
Keywords
gaze perception, social brain network, face processing, cognitive modulation, social cognition development
MeSH terms
Attention, Brain, Facial Expression, Fixation, Ocular, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Social Behavior, Social Perception, Visual Perception

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