Age differences in conscious versus subconscious social perception: the influence of face age and valence on gaze following.

Bailey, PE; Slessor, G; Rendell, PG; Bennetts, RJ; Campbell, A; Ruffman, T

Age differences in conscious versus subconscious social perception: the influence of face age and valence on gaze following.

Bailey, PE Slessor, G Rendell, PG Bennetts, RJ Campbell, A Ruffman, T

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Publisher:: AMER PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Psychol Aging, 2014, 29, (3), pp. 491-502
Issue Date:: 2014-09

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Bailey, PE
dc.contributor.author	Slessor, G
dc.contributor.author	Rendell, PG
dc.contributor.author	Bennetts, RJ
dc.contributor.author	Campbell, A
dc.contributor.author	Ruffman, T
dc.date.accessioned	2025-01-10T05:15:27Z
dc.date.available	2025-01-10T05:15:27Z
dc.date.issued	2014-09
dc.identifier.citation	Psychol Aging, 2014, 29, (3), pp. 491-502
dc.identifier.issn	0882-7974
dc.identifier.issn	1939-1498
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/183212
dc.description.abstract	Gaze following is the primary means of establishing joint attention with others and is subject to age-related decline. In addition, young but not older adults experience an own-age bias in gaze following. The current research assessed the effects of subconscious processing on these age-related differences. Participants responded to targets that were either congruent or incongruent with the direction of gaze displayed in supraliminal and subliminal images of young and older faces. These faces displayed either neutral (Study 1) or happy and fearful (Study 2) expressions. In Studies 1 and 2, both age groups demonstrated gaze-directed attention by responding faster to targets that were congruent as opposed to incongruent with gaze-cues. In Study 1, subliminal stimuli did not attenuate the age-related decline in gaze-cuing, but did result in an own-age bias among older participants. In Study 2, gaze-cuing was reduced for older relative to young adults in response to supraliminal stimuli, and this could not be attributed to reduced visual acuity or age group differences in the perceived emotional intensity of the gaze-cue faces. Moreover, there were no age differences in gaze-cuing when responding to subliminal faces that were emotionally arousing. In addition, older adults demonstrated an own-age bias for both conscious and subconscious gaze-cuing when faces expressed happiness but not fear. We discuss growing evidence for age-related preservation of subconscious relative to conscious social perception, as well as an interaction between face age and valence in social perception.
dc.format	Print
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	AMER PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP130101420
dc.relation.ispartof	Psychol Aging
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1037/a0036249
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.subject	1701 Psychology, 1702 Cognitive Sciences
dc.subject.classification	Experimental Psychology
dc.subject.classification	5201 Applied and developmental psychology
dc.subject.classification	5202 Biological psychology
dc.subject.classification	5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
dc.subject.mesh	Adolescent
dc.subject.mesh	Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Age Factors
dc.subject.mesh	Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Aged, 80 and over
dc.subject.mesh	Aging
dc.subject.mesh	Attention
dc.subject.mesh	Consciousness
dc.subject.mesh	Cues
dc.subject.mesh	Eye Movements
dc.subject.mesh	Face
dc.subject.mesh	Facial Expression
dc.subject.mesh	Fear
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Happiness
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Social Perception
dc.subject.mesh	Unconscious, Psychology
dc.subject.mesh	Young Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Face
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Eye Movements
dc.subject.mesh	Facial Expression
dc.subject.mesh	Fear
dc.subject.mesh	Happiness
dc.subject.mesh	Consciousness
dc.subject.mesh	Cues
dc.subject.mesh	Social Perception
dc.subject.mesh	Attention
dc.subject.mesh	Age Factors
dc.subject.mesh	Aging
dc.subject.mesh	Adolescent
dc.subject.mesh	Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Aged, 80 and over
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Young Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Unconscious, Psychology
dc.subject.mesh	Adolescent
dc.subject.mesh	Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Age Factors
dc.subject.mesh	Aged
dc.subject.mesh	Aged, 80 and over
dc.subject.mesh	Aging
dc.subject.mesh	Attention
dc.subject.mesh	Consciousness
dc.subject.mesh	Cues
dc.subject.mesh	Eye Movements
dc.subject.mesh	Face
dc.subject.mesh	Facial Expression
dc.subject.mesh	Fear
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Happiness
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Social Perception
dc.subject.mesh	Unconscious, Psychology
dc.subject.mesh	Young Adult
dc.title	Age differences in conscious versus subconscious social perception: the influence of face age and valence on gaze following.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	29
utslib.location.activity	United States
utslib.for	1701 Psychology
utslib.for	1702 Cognitive Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Graduate School of Health
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Graduate School of Health/GSH.Clinical Psychology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/UTS Ageing Research Collaborative (UARC)
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
dc.date.updated	2025-01-10T05:15:25Z
pubs.issue	3
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	29
utslib.citation.issue	3

Abstract:

Gaze following is the primary means of establishing joint attention with others and is subject to age-related decline. In addition, young but not older adults experience an own-age bias in gaze following. The current research assessed the effects of subconscious processing on these age-related differences. Participants responded to targets that were either congruent or incongruent with the direction of gaze displayed in supraliminal and subliminal images of young and older faces. These faces displayed either neutral (Study 1) or happy and fearful (Study 2) expressions. In Studies 1 and 2, both age groups demonstrated gaze-directed attention by responding faster to targets that were congruent as opposed to incongruent with gaze-cues. In Study 1, subliminal stimuli did not attenuate the age-related decline in gaze-cuing, but did result in an own-age bias among older participants. In Study 2, gaze-cuing was reduced for older relative to young adults in response to supraliminal stimuli, and this could not be attributed to reduced visual acuity or age group differences in the perceived emotional intensity of the gaze-cue faces. Moreover, there were no age differences in gaze-cuing when responding to subliminal faces that were emotionally arousing. In addition, older adults demonstrated an own-age bias for both conscious and subconscious gaze-cuing when faces expressed happiness but not fear. We discuss growing evidence for age-related preservation of subconscious relative to conscious social perception, as well as an interaction between face age and valence in social perception.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/183212