ABSTRACT
Direct gaze has also been shown to activate neural circuits that are associated with the appraisal (e.g., threat, reward value) of social stimuli. Decoding the language of the eyes is an ability that lies at the very heart of human social cognition. The eyes provide very subtle signals to other individuals, and information transferred by this manner is dependent largely on the ability to understand that the eyes capture information about the world. Noting the importance of gaze cues in everyday interaction, researchers have attempted to chart how gaze-related information may influence the process and products of person construal. Extending this work, the study shows that it is not only gaze direction that shapes person construal; gaze shifts that signal the current attentional status of others also guide people’s evaluations of them. At least where social attention is concerned, out of sight may really mean out of mind.
