Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Neural Bases for Social Attention in Healthy Humans

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Many Faces of Social Attention

Abstract

In this chapter we focus on the neural processes that occur in the mature healthy human brain in response to evaluating another’s social attention. We first examine the brain’s sensitivity to gaze direction of others, social attention (as typically indicated by gaze contact), and joint attention. Brain regions such as the superior temporal sulcus (STS), the amygdala, and the fusiform gyrus have been previously demonstrated to be sensitive to gaze changes, most frequently with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Neurophysiological investigations, using electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG), have identified event-related potentials (ERPs) such as the N170 that are sensitive to changes in gaze direction and head direction. We advance a putative model that explains findings relating to the neurophysiology of social attention , based mainly on our studies. This model proposes two brain modes of social information processing—a nonsocial “Default” mode and a social mode that we have named “Socially Aware”. In Default mode, there is an internal focus on executing actions to achieve our goals, as evident in studies in which passive viewing or tasks involving nonsocial judgments have been used. In contrast, Socially Aware mode is active when making explicit social judgments. Switching between these two modes is rapid and can occur via either top-down or bottom-up routes. From a different perspective, most of the literature, including our own studies, has focused on social attention phenomena as experienced from the first-person perspective, i.e., gaze changes or social attention directed at, or away from, the observer. However, in daily life we are actively involved in observing social interactions between others, where their social attention focus may not include us, or their gaze may not meet ours. Hence, changes in eye gaze and social attention are experienced from the third-person perspective. This area of research is still fairly small, but nevertheless important in the study of social and joint attention, and we discuss this very small literature briefly at the end of the chapter. We conclude the chapter with some outstanding questions, which are aimed at the main knowledge gaps in the literature.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adams, R. B. Jr., & Kleck, R. E. (2005). Effects of direct and averted gaze on the perception of facially communicated emotion. Emotion, 5(1), 3–11. doi:10.1037/1528-3542.5.1.3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Akechi, H., Senju, A., Uibo, H., Kikuchi, Y., Hasegawa, T., & Hietanen, J. K. (2013). Attention to eye contact in the West and East: Autonomic responses and evaluative ratings. PLoS ONE, 8(3), e59312. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0059312.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Akiyama, T., Kato, M., Muramatsu, T., Saito, F., Nakachi, R., & Kashima, H. (2006b). A deficit in discriminating gaze direction in a case with right superior temporal gyrus lesion. Neuropsychologia, 44(2), 161–170. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2005.05.018.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Akiyama, T., Kato, M., Muramatsu, T., Saito, F., Umeda, S., & Kashima, H. (2006a). Gaze but not arrows: A dissociative impairment after right superior temporal gyrus damage. Neuropsychologia, 44(10), 1804–1810. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2006.03.007.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Akiyama, T., Kato, M., Muramatsu, T., Umeda, S., Saito, F., & Kashima, H. (2007). Unilateral amygdala lesions hamper attentional orienting triggered by gaze direction. Cerebral Cortex (New York), 17(11), 2593–2600. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhl166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allison, T., Puce, A., & McCarthy, G. (2000). Social perception from visual cues: Role of the STS region. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 4(7), 267–278.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, N. C., Risko, E. F., & Kingstone, A. (2011). Exploiting human sensitivity to gaze for tracking the eyes. Behavior Research Methods, 43(3), 843–852. doi:10.3758/s13428-011-0078-8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bahnemann, M., Dziobek, I., Prehn, K., Wolf, I., & Heekeren, H. R. (2010). Sociotopy in the temporoparietal cortex: Common versus distinct processes. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 5(1), 48–58. doi:10.1093/scan/nsp045.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bentin, S., & Golland, Y. (2002). Meaningful processing of meaningless stimuli: The influence of perceptual experience on early visual processing of faces. Cognition, 86(1), B1–B14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, S. J. (2008). Neural mechanisms underlying selective attention to threat. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1129, 141–152. doi:10.1196/annals.1417.016.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blake, R., & Shiffrar, M. (2007). Perception of human motion. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 47–73. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.57.102904.190152.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boll, S., Gamer, M., Kalisch, R., & Buchel, C. (2011). Processing of facial expressions and their significance for the observer in subregions of the human amygdala. NeuroImage, 56(1), 299–306. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.02.021.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brefczynski-Lewis, J. A., Berrebi, M. E., McNeely, M. E., Prostko, A. L., & Puce, A. (2011). In the blink of an eye: Neural responses elicited to viewing the eye blinks of another individual. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 5, 68. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2011.00068.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burra, N., Hervais-Adelman, A., Kerzel, D., Tamietto, M., de Gelder, B., & Pegna, A. J. (2013). Amygdala activation for eye contact despite complete cortical blindness. Journal of Neuroscience, 33(25), 10483–10489. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3994–12.2013.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carlin, J. D., Rowe, J. B., Kriegeskorte, N., Thompson, R., & Calder, A. J. (2012). Direction-sensitive codes for observed head turns in human superior temporal sulcus. Cerebral Cortex (New York), 22(4), 735–744. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhr061.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carrick, O. K., Thompson, J. C., Epling, J. A., & Puce, A. (2007). It’s all in the eyes: Neural responses to socially significant gaze shifts. Neuroreport, 18(8), 763–766.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caruana, F., Cantalupo, G., Lo Russo, G., Mai, R., Sartori, I., & Avanzini, P. (2014). Human cortical activity evoked by gaze shift observation: An intracranial EEG study. Human Brain Mapping, 35(4), 1515–1528. doi:10.1002/hbm.22270.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Conty, L., & Grezes, J. (2012). Look at me, I’ll remember you: The perception of self-relevant social cues enhances memory and right hippocampal activity. Human Brain Mapping, 33(10), 2428–2440. doi:10.1002/hbm.21366.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Conty, L., N’Diaye, K., Tijus, C., & George, N. (2007). When eye creates the contact! ERP evidence for early dissociation between direct and averted gaze motion processing. Neuropsychologia, 45(13), 3024–3037.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Corbetta, M., & Shulman, G. L. (2002). Control of goal-directed and stimulus-driven attention in the brain. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 3(3), 201–215.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dumas, T., Dubal, S., Attal, Y., Chupin, M., Jouvent, R., Morel, S., & George, N. (2013). MEG evidence for dynamic amygdala modulations by gaze and facial emotions. PLoS ONE, 8(9), e74145. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0074145.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Engel, A. K., & Fries, P. (2010). Beta-band oscillations—signalling the status quo? Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 20(2), 156–165. doi:10.1016/j.conb.2010.02.015.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Engell, A. D., & Haxby, J. V. (2007). Facial expression and gaze-direction in human superior temporal sulcus. Neuropsychologia, 45(14), 3234–3241. doi:S0028-3932(07)00233-3. [pii] 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2007.06.022.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Engen, H. G., & Singer, T. (2013). Empathy circuits. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 23(2), 275–282. doi:10.1016/j.conb.2012.11.003.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ethofer, T., Gschwind, M., & Vuilleumier, P. (2011). Processing social aspects of human gaze: A combined fMRI-DTI study. NeuroImage, 55(1), 411–419. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.11.033.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ewbank, M. P., Fox, E., & Calder, A. J. (2010). The interaction between gaze and facial expression in the amygdala and extended amygdala is modulated by anxiety. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 4, 56. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2010.00056.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fan, Y., Duncan, N. W., de Greck, M., & Northoff, G. (2011). Is there a core neural network in empathy? An fMRI based quantitative meta-analysis. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 35(3), 903–911. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.10.009.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fogassi, L., Ferrari, P. F., Gesierich, B., Rozzi, S., Chersi, F., & Rizzolatti, G. (2005). Parietal lobe: From action organization to intention understanding. Science, 308(5722), 662–667. doi:10.1126/science.1106138.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frischen, A., Bayliss, A. P., & Tipper, S. P. (2007). Gaze cueing of attention: Visual attention, social cognition, and individual differences. Psychological Bulletin, 133(4), 694–724. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.133.4.694.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frith, C. D. (2007). The social brain? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 362(1480), 671–678. doi:10.1098/rstb.2006.2003.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frith, U., & Frith, C. D. (2003). Development and neurophysiology of mentalizing. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 358(1431), 459–473.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frith, C. D., & Frith, U. (2006). The neural basis of mentalizing. Neuron, 50(4), 531–534. doi:S0896-6273(06)00344-8. [pii] 10.1016/j.neuron.2006.05.001.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • George, N., Driver, J., & Dolan, R. J. (2001). Seen gaze-direction modulates fusiform activity and its coupling with other brain areas during face processing. NeuroImage, 13(6 Pt 1), 1102–1112.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Giese, M. A., & Poggio, T. (2003). Neural mechanisms for the recognition of biological movements. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 4(3), 179–192.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gramann, K., Gwin, J. T., Ferris, D. P., Oie, K., Jung, T. P., Lin, C. T., Liao, L. D., & Makeig, S. (2011). Cognition in action: Imaging brain/body dynamics in mobile humans. Reviews in the Neurosciences, 22(6), 593–608. doi:10.1515/RNS.2011.047.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grossmann, T., Johnson, M. H., Farroni, T., & Csibra, G. (2007). Social perception in the infant brain: Gamma oscillatory activity in response to eye gaze. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 2(4), 284–291. doi:10.1093/scan/nsm025.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hardee, J. E., Thompson, J. C., & Puce, A. (2008). The left amygdala knows fear: Laterality in the amygdala response to fearful eyes. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 3(1), 47–54. doi:nsn001. [pii] 10.1093/scan/nsn001.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hietanen, J. K., Leppanen, J. M., Peltola, M. J., Linna-Aho, K., & Ruuhiala, H. J. (2008). Seeing direct and averted gaze activates the approach-avoidance motivational brain systems. Neuropsychologia, 46(9), 2423–2430. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2008.02.029.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Itier, R. J., Alain, C., Kovacevic, N., McIntosh, A. R. (2007). Explicit versus implicit gaze processing assessed by ERPs. Brain Research, 1177, 79–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Itier, R. J., & Batty, M. (2009). Neural bases of eye and gaze processing: The core of social cognition. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 33(6), 843–863. doi:S0149-7634(09)00020-7 [pii] 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.02.004.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Iwaki, S. (2013). Induced gamma-band brain responses to direct eye contact in the frontal and parietal cortices. Conference Proceedings: Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2013, 6183–6186. doi:10.1109/EMBC.2013.6610965.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jack, R. E., Blais, C., Scheepers, C., Schyns, P. G., & Caldara, R. (2009). Cultural confusions show that facial expressions are not universal. Current Biology, 19(18), 1543–1548. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2009.07.051.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jemel, B., Pisani, M., Calabria, M., Crommelinck, M., & Bruyer, R. (2003). Is the N170 for faces cognitively penetrable? Evidence from repetition priming of Mooney faces of familiar and unfamiliar persons. Brain Research. Cognitive Brain Research, 17(2), 431–446.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kampe, K. K., Frith, C. D., Dolan, R. J., & Frith, U. (2001). Reward value of attractiveness and gaze. Nature, 413(6856), 589.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kleinke, C. L. (1986). Gaze and eye contact: A research review. Psychological Bulletin, 100(1), 78–100.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Knapp, M. L. (1972). Non-verbal communication in human interaction. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuzmanovic, B., Georgescu, A. L., Eickhoff, S. B., Shah, N. J., Bente, G., Fink, G. R., & Vogeley, K. (2009). Duration matters: Dissociating neural correlates of detection and evaluation of social gaze. NeuroImage, 46(4), 1154–1163. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.03.037.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lachat, F., Hugueville, L., Lemarechal, J. D., Conty, L., & George, N. (2012). Oscillatory brain correlates of live joint attention: A dual-EEG study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 6, 156. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00156.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lamm, C., Decety, J., & Singer, T. (2011). Meta-analytic evidence for common and distinct neural networks associated with directly experienced pain and empathy for pain. NeuroImage, 54(3), 2492–2502. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.10.014.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Latinus, M., & Taylor, M. J. (2006). Face processing stages: Impact of difficulty and the separation of effects. Brain Research, 1123(1), 179–187. doi:S0006-8993(06)02736-3. [pii] 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.09.031.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Latinus, M., Love, S., Rossi, A., Parada, F. J., Huang, L., Conty, L., George, N., James, K., Puce, A. (2015). Social decisions affect neural activity to perceived dynamic gaze. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience 2015 Apr 28. pii: nsv049. [Epub ahead of print].

    Google Scholar 

  • Laube, I., Kamphuis, S., Dicke, P. W., & Thier, P. (2010). Cortical processing of head- and eye-gaze cues guiding joint social attention. NeuroImage. doi:S1053-8119(10)01175-4. [pii] 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.08.074.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logothetis, N. K., Pauls, J., Augath, M., Trinath, T., Oeltermann, A. (2001). Neurophysiological investigation of the basis of the fMRI signal. Nature, 412, 150–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Materna, S., Dicke, P. W., & Thier, P. (2008). The posterior superior temporal sulcus is involved in social communication not specific for the eyes. Neuropsychologia, 46(11), 2759–2765. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2008.05.016.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Michel, C. M., Murray, M. M., Lantz, G., Gonzalez, S., Spinelli, L., & Grave de Peralta, R. (2004). EEG source imaging. Clinical Neurophysiology, 115(10), 2195–2222. doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2004.06.001 S1388245704002135 [pii].

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mulckhuyse, M., & Theeuwes, J. (2010). Unconscious attentional orienting to exogenous cues: A review of the literature. Acta Psychologica, 134(3), 299–309. doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2010.03.002.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nemrodov, D., Anderson, T., Preston, F. F., & Itier, R. J. (2014). Early sensitivity for eyes within faces: A new neuronal account of holistic and featural processing. NeuroImage, 97, 81–94. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.04.042.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nummenmaa, L., & Calder, A. J. (2009). Neural mechanisms of social attention. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13(3), 135–143. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2008.12.006.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nummenmaa, L., Passamonti, L., Rowe, J., Engell, A. D., & Calder, A. J. (2010). Connectivity analysis reveals a cortical network for eye gaze perception. Cerebral Cortex, 20(8), 1780–1787. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhp244.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Olson, I. R., McCoy, D., Klobusicky, E., & Ross, L. A. (2013). Social cognition and the anterior temporal lobes: A review and theoretical framework. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 8(2), 123–133. doi:10.1093/scan/nss119.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pageler, N. M., Menon, V., Merin, N. M., Eliez, S., Brown, W. E., & Reiss, A. L. (2003). Effect of head orientation on gaze processing in fusiform gyrus and superior temporal sulcus. NeuroImage, 20(1), 318–329.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pelphrey, K. A., Viola, R. J., & McCarthy, G. (2004). When strangers pass: Processing of mutual and averted social gaze in the superior temporal sulcus. Psychological Science, 15(9), 598–603. doi:10.1111/j.0956–7976.2004.00726.xPSCI726. [pii].

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ponkanen, L. M., Hietanen, J. K., Peltola, M. J., Kauppinen, P. K., Haapalainen, A., & Leppanen, J. M. (2008). Facing a real person: An event-related potential study. Neuroreport, 19(4), 497–501. doi:10.1097/WNR.0b013e3282f7c4d3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ponkanen, L. M., Alhoniemi, A., Leppanen, J. M., & Hietanen, J. K. (2011). Does it make a difference if I have an eye contact with you or with your picture? An ERP study. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 6(4), 486–494. doi:10.1093/scan/nsq068.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Porges, S. W. (1997). Emotion: An evolutionary by-product of the neural regulation of the autonomic nervous system. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 807, 62–77.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Posner, M. I. (1980). Orienting of attention. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 32(1), 3–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pourtois, G., Spinelli, L., Seeck, M., & Vuilleumier, P. (2010). Modulation of face processing by emotional expression and gaze direction during intracranial recordings in right fusiform cortex. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 22(9), 2086–2107. doi:10.1162/jocn.2009.21404.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Puce, A. (1995). Comparative assessment of sensorimotor function using functional magnetic resonance imaging and electrophysiological methods. Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology, 12, 450–459.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puce, A., Allison, T., Spencer, S. S., Spencer, D. D., McCarthy, G. (1997). Comparison of cortical activation evoked by faces measured by intracranial field potentials and functional MRI: two case studies. Human Brain Mapping, 4, 298–305.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puce, A., & Perrett, D. (2003). Electrophysiology and brain imaging of biological motion. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 358(1431), 435–445.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Puce, A., Allison, T., Bentin, S., Gore, J. C., & McCarthy, G. (1998). Temporal cortex activation in humans viewing eye and mouth movements. The Journal of Neuroscience, 18(6), 2188–2199.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Puce, A., Smith, A., & Allison, T. (2000). ERPs evoked by viewing facial movements. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 17, 221–239.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Puce, A., Syngeniotis, A., Thompson, J. C., Abbott, D. F., Wheaton, K. J., & Castiello, U. (2003). The human temporal lobe integrates facial form and motion: Evidence from fMRI and ERP studies. NeuroImage, 19(3), 861–869.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Puce, A., Rossi, A., & Parada, F. J. (2015). Biological motion (Chap. 166). In: A. W. Toga (Ed.), Brain mapping: An encyclopedic reference (pp. 125–130). Amsterdam: Elsevier.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ray, W. J., & Cole, H. W. (1985). EEG alpha activity reflects attentional demands, and beta activity reflects emotional and cognitive processes. Science, 228(4700), 750–752.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rellecke, J., Sommer, W., & Schacht, A. (2012). Does processing of emotional facial expressions depend on intention? Time-resolved evidence from event-related brain potentials. Biological Psychology, 90(1), 23–32. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2012.02.002.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rizzolatti, G., & Craighero, L. (2004). The mirror-neuron system. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 27, 169–192.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rizzolatti, G., & Fabbri-Destro, M. (2008). The mirror system and its role in social cognition. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 18(2), 179–184. doi:10.1016/j.conb.2008.08.001.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rossi, A., Parada, F. J., Kolchinsky, A., & Puce, A. (2014). Neural correlates of apparent motion perception of impoverished facial stimuli: A comparison of ERP and ERSP activity. NeuroImage, 98, 442–459. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.04.029.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rossi, A., Parada, F. J., Latinus, M., & Puce, A. (2015). Photographic but not line-drawn faces show early perceptual neural sensitivity to eye gaze direction. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, 185. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sato, W., Kochiyama, T., Uono, S., & Yoshikawa, S. (2010). Amygdala integrates emotional expression and gaze direction in response to dynamic facial expressions. NeuroImage, 50(4), 1658–1665. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.01.049.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sato, W., Kochiyama, T., Uono, S., Matsuda, K., Usui, K., Inoue, Y., & Toichi, M. (2011). Rapid amygdala gamma oscillations in response to eye gaze. PLoS ONE, 6(11), e28188. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0028188.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sedley, W., & Cunningham, M. O. (2013). Do cortical gamma oscillations promote or suppress perception? An under-asked question with an over-assumed answer. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 595. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00595.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Senju, A., & Johnson, M. H. (2009). The eye contact effect: Mechanisms and development. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13(3), 127–134. doi:S1364-6613(09)00019-9 [pii] 10.1016/j.tics.2008.11.009.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sipp, A. R., Gwin, J. T., Makeig, S., & Ferris, D. P. (2013). Loss of balance during balance beam walking elicits a multifocal theta band electrocortical response. Journal of Neurophysiology, 110(9), 2050–2060. doi:10.1152/jn.00744.2012.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Srinivasan, R., Nunez, P. L., Tucker, D. M., Silberstein, R. B., & Cadusch, P. J. (1996). Spatial sampling and filtering of EEG with spline laplacians to estimate cortical potentials. Brain Topography, 8(4), 355–366.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stanley, D. A., & Adolphs, R. (2013). Toward a neural basis for social behavior. Neuron, 80(3), 816–826. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2013.10.038.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sue, S., & Sue, D. W. (1977). Barriers to effective cross-cultural counseling. Journal of Counseling Psychology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tallon-Baudry, C., & Bertrand, O. (1999). Oscillatory gamma activity in humans and its role in object representation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 3(4), 151–162.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tallon-Baudry, C., Bertrand, O., Delpuech, C., & Pernier, J. (1996). Stimulus specificity of phase-locked and non-phase-locked 40 Hz visual responses in human. Journal of Neuroscience, 16(13), 4240–4249.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, J. C., Clarke, M., Stewart, T., & Puce, A. (2005). Configural processing of biological motion in human superior temporal sulcus. Journal of Neuroscience, 25(39), 9059–9066.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ulloa, J. L., Puce, A., Hugueville, L., & George, N. (2014). Sustained neural activity to gaze and emotion perception in dynamic social scenes. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 9(3), 350–357. doi:10.1093/scan/nss141.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van Overwalle, F., & Baetens, K. (2009). Understanding others’ actions and goals by mirror and mentalizing systems: A meta-analysis. NeuroImage, 48(3), 564–584. doi:S1053-8119(09)00620-X. [pii] 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.06.009.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wheaton, K. J., Pipingas, A., Silberstein, R. B., & Puce, A. (2001). Human neural responses elicited to observing the actions of others. Visual Neuroscience, 18(3), 401–406.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wheaton, K. J., Thompson, J. C., Syngeniotis, A., Abbott, D. F., & Puce, A. (2004). Viewing the motion of human body parts activates different regions of premotor, temporal, and parietal cortex. NeuroImage, 22(1), 277–288.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wicker, B., Michel, F., Henaff, M. A., & Decety, J. (1998). Brain regions involved in the perception of gaze: A PET study. NeuroImage, 8(2), 221–227.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wronka, E., & Walentowska, W. (2011). Attention modulates emotional expression processing. Psychophysiology, 48(8), 1047–1056. doi:10.1111/j.1469–8986.2011.01180.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yuki, M., Maddux, W. W., & Masuda, T. (2007). Are the windows to the soul the same in the East and West? Cultural differences in using the eyes and mouth as cues to recognize emotions in Japan and the United States. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43, 303–311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, 1101 East 10th Street, 47405, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Aina Puce, Elizabeth daSilva & Swapnaa Jayaraman

  2. Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, 240 Skirkanich Hall, 210 S 33rd Street, 19104, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Arian Ashourvan

  3. Imagerie et Cerveau, CHRU de Tours, Université François-Rabelais de Tours, Centre Universitaire de PédoPsychiatrie, Inserm UMR U 930, Tours, France

    Marianne Latinus

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 150 S. Huntington Ave. Research 151C, 02130, Boston, MA, USA

    Alejandra Rossi & Francisco Parada

  5. Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone (INT), UMR 7289, CNRS—Aix-Marseille Université, Campus Santé Timone, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France

    Scott Love

Authors
  1. Aina Puce
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Marianne Latinus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Alejandra Rossi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Elizabeth daSilva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Francisco Parada
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Scott Love
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Arian Ashourvan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Swapnaa Jayaraman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aina Puce .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

    Aina Puce

  2. Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

    Bennett I. Bertenthal

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Puce, A. et al. (2015). Neural Bases for Social Attention in Healthy Humans. In: Puce, A., Bertenthal, B. (eds) The Many Faces of Social Attention. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21368-2_4

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation