Gaze cueing is not modulated by spontaneous perspective taking M Atkinson1, D T Smith2, G Cole1 |
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1Department of Psychology, University of Essex, United Kingdom |
| Theory of mind (ToM) refers to the attribution of mental states and perspectives to other people. Recent studies have shown that these processes can occur rapidly, involuntarily and may modulate social attention behaviors such as gaze cueing. The current work assessed this spontaneous ToM account using a series of social attention experiments where an avatar or real human conspecific either shared a participant’s perspectives of a target or alternatively, had their view occluded by a physical barrier. We found that even when participants and observed individuals in displays could not see the same target, a robust social attention effect emerged (e.g., gaze cueing). The current findings suggest rapid and spontaneous perspective taking does not modulate gaze cueing effects. Implications for theories of metalizing and social attention are discussed. |
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