This thesis investigated the nature of any uniquely social influence of centrally presented, non-informative gaze cues compared to non-social arrow and moving line cues on attention orienting and working memory (WM). Effects were measured using the traditional unilateral paradigm (target information on one side), and a novel bilateral paradigm (target information on both sides). Attention was investigated using a traditional asterisk localisation target task (unilateral) and a novel oddball localisation task (bilateral). WM was measured using a simple array of coloured squares displayed either on one side of the cue (unilateral), or spread evenly over both sides (bilateral). Participants were required to remember all colours and state whether a test colour had been present/absent. Target information was displayed in the valid looked at location, invalid looked away from location, or (WM only) in a no cue shift condition. Across experiments I manipulated the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA: Attention, 150-1000ms; WM 150ms/500ms). Cue effects on attention and WM differed dependent upon cue type, SOA and unilateral/bilateral presentation. In unilateral attention, valid compared to invalid gaze and arrow cues speeded orienting across all SOAs tested (150ms-1000ms), while motion only reliably oriented attention at early SOAs. For bilateral attention, the pattern for the arrow and moving line cue remained the same, but the gaze cue effect diminished at longer SOAs. In unilateral WM, only the gaze cue influenced WM, facilitating WM for validly cued items (500ms SOA only). This effect was abolished when an opaque barrier occluded the face's ability to 'see' the memoranda, but was partially replicated when the barrier had windows. In bilateral WM, the gaze cue had no effect, instead the arrow (500ms) and line (150ms) enhanced WM. A shared goals hypothesis is presented to address how and in what circumstances eye gaze is utilised as an important social cue.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:720600 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Gregory, Samantha Elizabeth Anne |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=232633 |
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