Social Cognition, Attention, and Eye Tracking

Abstract

Abstract This chapter focuses on eye tracking in social psychological research with the goal of offering a brief discussion on the importance of visual attention in social cognitive theorizing and describing several examples. The chapter also provides a short overview of methods and several measures related to eye tracking. The majority of the chapter, however, comprises a review of studies that have used eye tracking to investigate social cognitive processes. Specifically, the chapter begins broadly with how observers process people in scenes, followed by the more targeted processing of faces, including facial features and emotions. Next, it explores how these processes are influenced by category membership, interpersonal relations, and relationship goals. Finally, it illustrates how eye tracking can be applied in one particular behavioral domain, morality. The aim is to showcase a diversity of paradigms and measurements and explore current and future applications for the use of eye tracking in the field.