Scanning to conclusions? Visual attention to neutral faces under stress in individuals with and without subclinical paranoia

Tobias E Hillmann; Leonie Ascone; Jürgen Kempkensteffen; Tania M Lincoln

doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.08.013

Scanning to conclusions? Visual attention to neutral faces under stress in individuals with and without subclinical paranoia

Standard

Scanning to conclusions? Visual attention to neutral faces under stress in individuals with and without subclinical paranoia. / Hillmann, Tobias E; Ascone, Leonie; Kempkensteffen, Jürgen; Lincoln, Tania M.

In: J BEHAV THER EXP PSY, Vol. 56, 09.2017, p. 137-143.

Research output: SCORING: Contribution to journal › SCORING: Journal article › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Hillmann, TE, Ascone, L, Kempkensteffen, J & Lincoln, TM 2017, 'Scanning to conclusions? Visual attention to neutral faces under stress in individuals with and without subclinical paranoia', J BEHAV THER EXP PSY, vol. 56, pp. 137-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.08.013

APA

Hillmann, T. E., Ascone, L., Kempkensteffen, J., & Lincoln, T. M. (2017). Scanning to conclusions? Visual attention to neutral faces under stress in individuals with and without subclinical paranoia. J BEHAV THER EXP PSY, 56, 137-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.08.013

Vancouver

Hillmann TE, Ascone L, Kempkensteffen J, Lincoln TM. Scanning to conclusions? Visual attention to neutral faces under stress in individuals with and without subclinical paranoia. J BEHAV THER EXP PSY. 2017 Sep;56:137-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.08.013

Bibtex

@article{2f221acc1eb74a6aa9b2998dff5f6bda,

title = "Scanning to conclusions? Visual attention to neutral faces under stress in individuals with and without subclinical paranoia",

abstract = "BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A promising candidate for a vulnerability indicator for psychosis is the restricted scanpath. Restricted scanning of social stimuli, such as faces, might also contribute to misinterpretations of facial expressions and thus increase the likelihood of delusional interpretations. Moreover, similar to other vulnerability indicators of psychosis, scanpaths may be susceptible to stress. Thus, we hypothesized that scanpath restriction would increase as a function of delusion-proneness, stress and their interaction.METHODS: Participants were asked to look at neutral faces and rate their trustworthiness under a stress and a non-stress condition, while the eye gaze was recorded. The non-clinical sample was classified into low- and high-paranoia scorers using a median split. Eye-tracking parameters of interest were number of fixations, fixations within emotion-relevant facial areas, scanpath length and duration of fixations.RESULTS: In general, high-paranoia scorers had a significantly shorter scanpath compared to low-paranoia scorers (F(1, 48) = 2.831, p = 0.05, ηp2 = 0.056) and there was a trend towards a further decrease of scanpath length under stress in high-paranoia scorers relative to low-paranoia scorers (interaction effect: F(1, 48) = 2.638, p = 0.056, ηp2 = 0.052). However, no effects were found for the other eye-tracking parameters. Moreover, trustworthiness ratings remained unaffected by group or condition.LIMITATIONS: The participants of this study had only slight elevations of delusion-proneness, which might explain the absence of differences in trustworthiness ratings.CONCLUSIONS: Restricted scanpaths appear to be partly present in individuals with subclinical levels of paranoia and appear to be susceptible to stress in this group. Nevertheless, further research in high-risk groups is necessary before drawing more definite conclusions.",

keywords = "Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Attention/physiology, Delusions/complications, Eye Movements/physiology, Facial Expression, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Paranoid Disorders/complications, Photic Stimulation, Prodromal Symptoms, Stress, Psychological/complications, Young Adult",

author = "Hillmann, {Tobias E} and Leonie Ascone and J{\"u}rgen Kempkensteffen and Lincoln, {Tania M}",

year = "2017",

month = sep,

doi = "10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.08.013",

language = "English",

volume = "56",

pages = "137--143",

journal = "J BEHAV THER EXP PSY",

issn = "0005-7916",

publisher = "Elsevier Limited",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Scanning to conclusions? Visual attention to neutral faces under stress in individuals with and without subclinical paranoia

AU - Hillmann, Tobias E

AU - Ascone, Leonie

AU - Kempkensteffen, Jürgen

AU - Lincoln, Tania M

PY - 2017/9

Y1 - 2017/9

N2 - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A promising candidate for a vulnerability indicator for psychosis is the restricted scanpath. Restricted scanning of social stimuli, such as faces, might also contribute to misinterpretations of facial expressions and thus increase the likelihood of delusional interpretations. Moreover, similar to other vulnerability indicators of psychosis, scanpaths may be susceptible to stress. Thus, we hypothesized that scanpath restriction would increase as a function of delusion-proneness, stress and their interaction.METHODS: Participants were asked to look at neutral faces and rate their trustworthiness under a stress and a non-stress condition, while the eye gaze was recorded. The non-clinical sample was classified into low- and high-paranoia scorers using a median split. Eye-tracking parameters of interest were number of fixations, fixations within emotion-relevant facial areas, scanpath length and duration of fixations.RESULTS: In general, high-paranoia scorers had a significantly shorter scanpath compared to low-paranoia scorers (F(1, 48) = 2.831, p = 0.05, ηp2 = 0.056) and there was a trend towards a further decrease of scanpath length under stress in high-paranoia scorers relative to low-paranoia scorers (interaction effect: F(1, 48) = 2.638, p = 0.056, ηp2 = 0.052). However, no effects were found for the other eye-tracking parameters. Moreover, trustworthiness ratings remained unaffected by group or condition.LIMITATIONS: The participants of this study had only slight elevations of delusion-proneness, which might explain the absence of differences in trustworthiness ratings.CONCLUSIONS: Restricted scanpaths appear to be partly present in individuals with subclinical levels of paranoia and appear to be susceptible to stress in this group. Nevertheless, further research in high-risk groups is necessary before drawing more definite conclusions.

AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A promising candidate for a vulnerability indicator for psychosis is the restricted scanpath. Restricted scanning of social stimuli, such as faces, might also contribute to misinterpretations of facial expressions and thus increase the likelihood of delusional interpretations. Moreover, similar to other vulnerability indicators of psychosis, scanpaths may be susceptible to stress. Thus, we hypothesized that scanpath restriction would increase as a function of delusion-proneness, stress and their interaction.METHODS: Participants were asked to look at neutral faces and rate their trustworthiness under a stress and a non-stress condition, while the eye gaze was recorded. The non-clinical sample was classified into low- and high-paranoia scorers using a median split. Eye-tracking parameters of interest were number of fixations, fixations within emotion-relevant facial areas, scanpath length and duration of fixations.RESULTS: In general, high-paranoia scorers had a significantly shorter scanpath compared to low-paranoia scorers (F(1, 48) = 2.831, p = 0.05, ηp2 = 0.056) and there was a trend towards a further decrease of scanpath length under stress in high-paranoia scorers relative to low-paranoia scorers (interaction effect: F(1, 48) = 2.638, p = 0.056, ηp2 = 0.052). However, no effects were found for the other eye-tracking parameters. Moreover, trustworthiness ratings remained unaffected by group or condition.LIMITATIONS: The participants of this study had only slight elevations of delusion-proneness, which might explain the absence of differences in trustworthiness ratings.CONCLUSIONS: Restricted scanpaths appear to be partly present in individuals with subclinical levels of paranoia and appear to be susceptible to stress in this group. Nevertheless, further research in high-risk groups is necessary before drawing more definite conclusions.

KW - Adolescent

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Attention/physiology

KW - Delusions/complications

KW - Eye Movements/physiology

KW - Facial Expression

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Paranoid Disorders/complications

KW - Photic Stimulation

KW - Prodromal Symptoms

KW - Stress, Psychological/complications

KW - Young Adult

U2 - 10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.08.013

DO - 10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.08.013

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 27597173

VL - 56

SP - 137

EP - 143

JO - J BEHAV THER EXP PSY

JF - J BEHAV THER EXP PSY

SN - 0005-7916

ER -