{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,2]],"date-time":"2026-08-02T18:47:19Z","timestamp":1785696439348,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]],"date-time":"2026-05-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779408000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":141,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001711","name":"Swiss National Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["10001C_204387"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["10001C_204387"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001711","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Eye gaze is a central cue for human social interaction, yet it remains debated whether its effects on perception and attention are automatic or shaped by context. Using EEG across three experiments, we examined how dynamic gaze influences early perceptual encoding (N170) and later attentional selection (N2pc). Participants viewed pairs of faces whose eyes shifted either toward them (gaze toward the observer) or further away (gaze away) while the other closed the eyes. The relevance of eye contact varied across tasks. Across Experiments 1 and 2, gaze toward consistently elicited larger N170 amplitudes than gaze away, independent of context, indicating robust early encoding of eye contact. In contrast, N2pc amplitudes were flexibly modulated: strongest when gaze was task-relevant, reduced when participants judged spatial direction. Cross-experiment analyses confirmed a graded decrease in gaze-related N2pc effects, while N170 remained stable. Finally, in Experiment 3, N170 and N2pc effects were absent when gaze was irrelevant. These results reveal a two-stage process in dynamic gaze perception: an early, context-independent perceptual encoding and a later, task-dependent attentional selection. The findings refine the Fast-Track Modulator Model by demonstrating that gaze processing is perceptually robust but attentionally flexible, indicating that gaze effects are conditional rather than automatic.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/scan\/nsag038","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,20]],"date-time":"2026-05-20T11:44:11Z","timestamp":1779277451000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Dynamic gaze processing: robust N170 for direct gaze and task-dependent N2pc effects"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7693-768X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nicolas","family":"Burra","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Facult\u00e9 de Psychologie et des Sciences de l\u2019\u00c9ducation, Universit\u00e9 de Gen\u00e8ve , 1205 Geneva,","place":["Switzerland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Oc\u00e9ane","family":"Lauret","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facult\u00e9 de Psychologie et des Sciences de l\u2019\u00c9ducation, Universit\u00e9 de Gen\u00e8ve , 1205 Geneva,","place":["Switzerland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B1","volume-title":"Gaze and Mutual Gaze","author":"Argyle","year":"1976"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2543","DOI":"10.1016\/j.visres.2010.08.023","article-title":"No capture outside the attentional window","volume":"50","author":"Belopolsky","year":"2010","journal-title":"Vision Res"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"551","DOI":"10.1162\/jocn.1996.8.6.551","article-title":"Electrophysiological studies of face perception in humans","volume":"8","author":"Bentin","year":"1996","journal-title":"J Cogn Neurosci"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B3000","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"433","DOI":"10.1163\/156856897X00357","article-title":"The psychophysics toolbox","volume":"10","author":"Brainard","year":"1997","journal-title":"Spat Vis"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.3758\/s13414-021-02382-2","article-title":"From eye to arrow: Attention capture by direct gaze requires more than just the eyes","volume":"84","author":"Breil","year":"2022","journal-title":"Atten Percept Psychophys"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104734","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cognition.2021.104734","article-title":"Meeting another\u2019s gaze shortens subjective time by capturing attention","volume":"212","author":"Burra","year":"2021","journal-title":"Cognition"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e1500","DOI":"10.1002\/wcs.1500","article-title":"The influence of top-down modulation on the processing of direct gaze","volume":"10","author":"Burra","year":"2019","journal-title":"Wiley Interdiscip Rev Cogn Sci"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"109060","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biopsycho.2025.109060","article-title":"The role of task-irrelevant configural and featural face processing in the selective attention to gaze","volume":"199","author":"Chen","year":"2025","journal-title":"Biol Psychol"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"184","DOI":"10.1016\/j.concog.2016.08.016","article-title":"Watching eyes effects: When others meet the self","volume":"45","author":"Conty","year":"2016","journal-title":"Conscious Cogn"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3024","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuropsychologia.2007.05.017","article-title":"When eye creates the contact! ERP evidence for early dissociation between direct and averted gaze motion processing","volume":"45","author":"Conty","year":"2007","journal-title":"Neuropsychologia"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"833","DOI":"10.3758\/s13423-020-01730-x","article-title":"Social modulators of gaze-mediated orienting of attention: a review","volume":"27","author":"Dalmaso","year":"2020","journal-title":"Psychon Bull Rev"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"225","DOI":"10.1016\/0013-4694(96)95711-9","article-title":"The N2pc component as an indicator of attentional selectivity","volume":"99","author":"Eimer","year":"1996","journal-title":"Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"581","DOI":"10.1016\/s0149-7634(00)00025-7","article-title":"The eyes have it: the neuroethology, function and evolution of social gaze","volume":"24","author":"Emery","year":"2000","journal-title":"Neurosci Biobehav Rev"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9602","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.152159999","article-title":"Eye contact detection in humans from birth","volume":"99","author":"Farroni","year":"2002","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci USA"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"175","DOI":"10.3758\/bf03193146","article-title":"GPower 3: a flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences","volume":"39","author":"Faul","year":"2007","journal-title":"Behav Res Methods"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"381","DOI":"10.1080\/13506285.2017.1285840","article-title":"Straight gaze facilitates face processing but does not cause involuntary attentional capture","volume":"24","author":"Framorando","year":"2016","journal-title":"Vis Cogn"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"490","DOI":"10.3758\/bf03208827","article-title":"The eyes have it! reflexive orienting is triggered by nonpredictive gaze","volume":"5","author":"Friesen","year":"1998","journal-title":"Psychonomic Bull Rev"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"694","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-2909.133.4.694","article-title":"Gaze cueing of attention: visual attention, social cognition, and individual differences","volume":"133","author":"Frischen","year":"2007","journal-title":"Psychol Bull"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"20150080","DOI":"10.1098\/rstb.2015.0080","article-title":"Gazing at me: the importance of social meaning in understanding direct-gaze cues","volume":"371","author":"Hamilton","year":"2016","journal-title":"Philoso Trans R Soc B"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"604","DOI":"10.1162\/jocn.2006.18.4.604","article-title":"Electrophysiological evidence of the capture of visual attention","volume":"18","author":"Hickey","year":"2006","journal-title":"J Cogn Neurosci"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1102","DOI":"10.1037\/xge0000199","article-title":"The effects of genuine eye contact on visuospatial and selective attention","volume":"145","author":"Hietanen","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Exp Psychol Gen"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B22","first-page":"14","article-title":"What\u2019s new in psychtoolbox-3?","volume":"36","author":"Kleiner","year":"2007","journal-title":"Perception"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1557","DOI":"10.1093\/scan\/nsv049","article-title":"Social decisions affect neural activity to perceived dynamic gaze","volume":"10","author":"Latinus","year":"2015","journal-title":"Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B24","volume-title":"An Introduction to the Event-Related Potential Technique","author":"Luck","year":"2014"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1000","DOI":"10.1037\/0096-1523.20.5.1000","article-title":"Spatial filtering during visual search: evidence from human electrophysiology","volume":"20","author":"Luck","year":"1994","journal-title":"J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B26","volume-title":"The Oxford Handbook of Event-Related Potential Components","author":"Luck","year":"2011"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cognition.2014.09.011","article-title":"There is more to eye contact than meets the eye","volume":"134","author":"Myllyneva","year":"2015","journal-title":"Cognition"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"42","DOI":"10.1186\/s13229-022-00519-0","article-title":"Predictability modulates neural response to eye contact in ASD","volume":"13","author":"Naples","year":"2022","journal-title":"Mol Autism"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1008163","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1008163","article-title":"Integration of social cues and individual experiences during instrumental avoidance learning","volume":"16","author":"P\u00e4rnamets","year":"2020","journal-title":"PLoS Comput Biol"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1347","DOI":"10.1002\/aur.2505","article-title":"The N170 event-related potential reflects delayed neural response to faces when visual attention is directed to the eyes in youths with ASD","volume":"14","author":"Parker","year":"2021","journal-title":"Autism Res"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"221","DOI":"10.1080\/026432900380580","article-title":"Erps evoked by viewing facial movements","volume":"17","author":"Puce","year":"2000","journal-title":"Cogn Neuropsychol"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"302","DOI":"10.1007\/s00426-019-01257-4","article-title":"Gaze interaction: anticipation-based control of the gaze of others","volume":"85","author":"Riechelmann","year":"2021","journal-title":"Psychol Res"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2381","DOI":"10.1097\/00001756-200108080-00019","article-title":"Spatial attention triggered by eye gaze increases and speeds up early visual activity","volume":"12","author":"Schuller","year":"2001","journal-title":"Neuroreport"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"127","DOI":"10.1080\/13506280444000157","article-title":"Direct gaze captures visuospatial attention","volume":"12","author":"Senju","year":"2005","journal-title":"Vis Cogn"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"127","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tics.2008.11.009","article-title":"The eye contact effect: mechanisms and development","volume":"13","author":"Senju","year":"2009","journal-title":"Trends Cogn Sci"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"185","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biopsych.2019.09.032","article-title":"Social bayes: using bayesian modeling to study autistic trait\u2013related differences in social cognition","volume":"87","author":"Sevgi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Biol Psychiatry"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"120659","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2024.120659","article-title":"The timing of gaze direction perception: ERP decoding and task modulation","volume":"295","author":"Tautvydaite","year":"2024","journal-title":"Neuroimage"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104913","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neubiorev.2022.104913","article-title":"Effect of perceived eye gaze on the N170 component \u2013 a systematic review","volume":"143","author":"Tautvydait\u0117","year":"2022","journal-title":"Neurosci Biobehav Rev"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"89","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cortex.2014.09.013","article-title":"Early stages of perceptual face processing are confined to the contralateral hemisphere: Evidence from the N170 component","volume":"64","author":"Towler","year":"2015","journal-title":"Cortex"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"671","DOI":"10.3758\/BRM.42.3.671","article-title":"Controlling low-level image properties: the SHINE toolbox","volume":"42","author":"Willenbockel","year":"2010","journal-title":"Behav Res Methods"},{"key":"2026080109032104900_nsag038-B41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"nsad070","DOI":"10.1093\/scan\/nsad070","article-title":"Social processing modulates the initial allocation of attention towards angry faces: Evidence from the N2pc component","volume":"18","author":"Wirth","year":"2023","journal-title":"Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci"}],"container-title":["Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/scan\/advance-article-pdf\/doi\/10.1093\/scan\/nsag038\/68371071\/nsag038.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"am","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/scan\/article-pdf\/21\/1\/nsag038\/68371071\/nsag038.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/scan\/article-pdf\/21\/1\/nsag038\/68371071\/nsag038.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,2]],"date-time":"2026-08-02T18:22:54Z","timestamp":1785694974000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/scan\/article\/doi\/10.1093\/scan\/nsag038\/8690981"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"references-count":42,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/scan\/nsag038","relation":{},"ISSN":["1749-5016","1749-5024"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1749-5016","type":"print"},{"value":"1749-5024","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published-other":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"published":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"article-number":"nsag038"}}