Revisiting the Watching Eyes Effect: How Emotional Expressions, Sex, and Age of Watching Eyes Influence Stereotypical Statement Endorsement

Bibliographic Details
Title: Revisiting the Watching Eyes Effect: How Emotional Expressions, Sex, and Age of Watching Eyes Influence Stereotypical Statement Endorsement
Authors: Lau Wee Kiat, Sauter Marian, Bulut Cihan, Eberhardt Lisa Valentina, Huckauf Anke
Source: Open Psychology, Vol 5, Iss 1, Pp pp. 103-107 (2023)
Publisher Information: De Gruyter, 2023.
Publication Year: 2023
Collection: LCC:Psychology
Subject Terms: watching eyes, emotions, sex and age, Psychology, BF1-990
More Details: The watching eyes effect has been shown to influence prosocial and antisocial behaviors. However, the eye characteristics which induce this effect remain unclear. This study explored how emotional expressions (anger, fear, happy, neutral), age (old, young), and sex (male, female) of eye images affect antisocial behavior, measured by stereotype endorsement. Participants rated their endorsement of 36 stereotype statements about race, gender, and religion topics, each paired with an eye image. Our findings indicated that stereotype endorsement did not differ significantly between neutral eye images and control flower images. We then used neutral eyes as control images to evaluate stereotype endorsement when being watched by eyes with other expressions. When comparing endorsement across age and sex in each expression, the data revealed higher endorsement for angry old male eyes and for happy young eyes (males and females), and lower endorsement for fearful eyes, except for old fearful female eyes. Therefore, varying the emotional expression, sex, and age of the eye images used in the watching eyes effect paradigm influences stereotype endorsement. To further unravel the underlying mechanisms behind the watching eyes effect, we encourage future research to explore how varying characteristics of the eyes affect responses/behaviors like stereotype endorsement.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2543-8883
Relation: https://doaj.org/toc/2543-8883
DOI: 10.1515/psych-2022-0135
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/1b802fed301644d9889c1fa8df9c8fee
Accession Number: edsdoj.1b802fed301644d9889c1fa8df9c8fee
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:25438883
DOI:10.1515/psych-2022-0135
Published in:Open Psychology
Language:English