The role of the motion cue in the dynamic gaze-cueing effect: A study of the lateralized ERPs.

Abstract When face was inverted, dynamic gaze cues could still effectively direct attention despite the disruption of configural face processing, but the static gaze cues could not. The present study investigated the role of the motion cue in the dynamic Gaze-Cueing Effect (GCE). With schematic and real faces, we employed the gaze-cueing paradigm to examine the differences among three kinds of cues (static gaze cue, dynamic gaze cue and motion cue) based on behavioral results and event-related potentials. Behavioral results revealed significant GCE in all conditions. In the schematic face group, the motion cue (two symmetrical dots shifting slightly to the side) induced a significantly smaller GCE than the dynamic gaze cues (two symmetrical dots moving within a rounded circle), while in the real face group, the motion cue (that is, the inverted-face gaze cue) remained a strong GCE compared with other conditions. With regard to the ERP results, we found the early directing attention negativity (EDAN), which was sensitive to voluntary cues (e.g. arrow cue) rather than gaze cue, in the schematic motion cue condition, but not in the inverted-face gaze cue condition. We supposed that the motion cue (real face) could activate the configural face processing even when the face is inverted. This finding supported that EDAN reflected a cue-triggered attention shift. Highlights • The neural mechanism of dynamic gaze-cueing effect (GCE) was explored; • The analysis of P1 component revealed a significant smaller GCE for pure motion cue; • Dynamic inverted-face gaze cue remained strong GCE compared with upright gaze cue; • Motion cue rebooted configural process of inverted face according to lateralized ERPs; • Early directing attention negativity (EDAN) reflected a cue-triggered attention shift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]