The Simon Effect and Emotion: The Effect of Emotional Expression and Gaze Direction on Reaction Time
500382295
Bangor University
Abstract
Research has consistently demonstrated the Simon effect, however, the effect of emotion in this context yields mixed results. Therefore the present study aimed to bring some closure to this uncertainty, by assessing the effect of congruency and emotional expression (happy, neutral, fearful) on reaction times, and any interactions. Participants (141 females, 59 males; M age = 20.95) were instructed to respond to on-screen instructions, using either their left or right hand, which presented trials consisting of congruent, neutral and incongruent eye gazes, as well as the emotions said
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Research conducted on primates has discovered distinct cells in the superior temporal sulcus (STS) that react to perceived eye gaze (Perrett, Hietanen, Oram, Benson, & Rolls, 1992), with further research showing activation of the human STS in response to eye gaze, and more so when this gaze was mutual (Pelphrey, Viola, & McCarthy, 2004). This is not surprising when considering the reliable impact of the Simon effect, and how infants use gaze direction as a cue for attention (Farroni, Johnson, Brockbank, & Simion, 2000) and by 12 months consistently follow another person’s gaze (Corkum, & Moore, 1995). To have a brain area directly related to eye gaze suggests the importance of these neural systems, which may be an evolutionary adaptation, as it makes theoretical sense to follow a person’s eye gaze under circumstances of possible dangers. Research has highlighted how neural networks combine eye gaze with perceived facial emotion to mould the host’s behaviour (Hadjikhani, Hoge, Snyder, & de Gelder, 2008) and how the combination can highlight threats in one’s surroundings (Hoehl et al., 2008). Based on this research, the present study’s results concerning emotion are confusing when considering the evidence highlighting the importance of eye gaze and fearful emotional perception. However, it may be more pronounced in individuals with trait anxiety (Mathews et al., 2003), which could explain the conflicting evidence. The effect of mundane realism may also contribute to this effect, as anxious participants reliably respond to danger-related stimuli much more than controls (MacLeod & Mathews, 1988), therefore fearful expressions alone may not be sufficient to illicit such a response in non-anxious individuals (Mathews et al., 2003). As such, it is recommended that further research be conducted by differentiating participants based on anxiety levels,
Ernest Hemingway once said, “When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature.” In a good book, one will connect with at least one fictional character. In the book The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, one will be able to relate to with several. A character that the reader will be able to connect with from the start is Simon.
Introduction Throughout the human life, many events will occur that cause individuals to experience the feelings associated with anxiety. Examples of these events that can cause individuals to experience anxiety are public speaking engagements, eating in restaurants, and using public restrooms (Sands & Gellis, 2012). The diagnosis of anxiety is sustained when the emotion is experienced with significant frequency and intensity, when the psychosocial functioning of the individual is impeded, and when the reaction is not conducive with the stimulus (Sands & Gellis, 2012). In addition, a significant amount of individuals who are diagnosed with anxiety disorders face the challenges of maintaining employment, or becoming active participants within their communities because of tremendous distress.
Every single fear known to man is stemmed and derived from five basic fears. This sounds crazy considering anyone can have a
There are only a few people in this world who are truly good inside and out. Some may appear to have benevolent hearts, but deep down inside there are beasts. All philanthropic and compassionate people will cease to exist in survival situations because all people are savages underneath the norms of society. One example of a pure heart during times of hardship is Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus died for their sins on the cross and therefore is viewed as a selfless figure.
Dr. Nichols (2010) writes; “Many fears are positive and productive because they prod [one] to do something about fearful situations” (p. 23). “Fear is a healthy, natural response that can turn unhealthy and manipulative” (Nichols, 2010, p. 70). The concept of action should be one of encouragement because fear can cause anxiety, anger, and depression. Anxiety “wastes mental, physical, and spiritual energy” (Nichols, 2010, p. 54), and anger is a “dangerous emotion that becomes a distraction from the main problem” (Nichols, 2010, p. 57). Fear can also cause bodily damage over a period of time, including heart disease, cancer, and damage to the immune system (Nichols,
When in danger, it’s natural to feel afraid. This fear triggers many split-second changes in the body
This theory was made by Michael Argyle (1925- 2002), who was a social psychologist. In the late 1960s he studied social skills, body language, non-verbal communication and interpersonal behaviour. In this study, he found that non-verbal signals can be much more important and useful than verbal communication when trying to trigger peoples’ attitudes and feelings. His research showed and found that the stronger the relationship between the people communicating so with close friends for example the much better eye contact. However, when the relationship is not very strong so when speaking to a stranger people don’t have very good eye contact and they tend to look away when talking.
Give your personal comment on the article as a conclusion of your article review. Reading, understanding, and applying facial expression are very interested. This article brings the reader to know about a guy who is really expert in facial expression. We can know how he works when he was a Sheriff in Los Angles Country and his experiences in patrol which always meet with the criminal issues there. And by reading it, I realized that it is important to learn how to read people’s thought just by looking at them to prevent ourselves from doing anything rashly and
Seen in the eyes of many as a joke or more than often confused with fear due to it’s many similar characteristics. In his article called, “ Searching the Brain for the Roots of Fear”, published in January 2012 on The New York Times, Joseph LeDoux, gives his opinion about anxiety to those who don’t know anything about it. He proves that anxiety occurs when we over anticipate things, causing fear within ourselves. Throughout his article he provides multiple scenarios and situations showing his audience how anxiety works, and how it differentiates from fear. Fear is a feeling we all have felt at one moment in our lives.
Simon’s Constant Battle in Which Savagery Prevails The Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding is about how savagery initiates the loss of innocence. Simon was a kindhearted, innocent individual who was murdered due to savagery. It is inferred that Simon loses his innocence from death. In William Golding’s writing, Simon is a pivotal character and a victim that shows the overruling of savagery on the island.
These physical fears are easier to understand because they are real and present in the world around us, unlike psychological fears.
Within different cultures, members follow a set of strict rules that must be carried out properly when interacting with one another although they are not aware of these unspoken rules. One can become more aware of these actions when he steps out of the procedures set by his culture and behave opposite of what is expected in his culture. The act of behaving in an unexpected manner that is opposite of the norm to elicit a response is known as “Garfinkeling”, named after Harold Garfinkel (Agar, 1994, p.169). By Garfinkeling, I was able to demonstrate how eye contact and the lack of it can disrupt the sign that it carries of paying attention and also interrupt the symbolic system that takes place when asking for assistance. When Michael Agar (1994) speaks of a “sign”, he explains that it is made up of two parts, the “signifier” and the “signified”.
Fear can drive action in many different ways. Actions all have consequences whether they are good or bad depend on how you execute said action. Although some people believe fear doesn 't affect actions, actually be described as a weakness, a nightmare, stories, or one event leading to the next. For example, in walker 's essay fear can be described as a weakness or some kind of object you shouldn 't encounter.
The three main components of emotion are the physiological changes, the subjective feelings, and the associated behavior. A perceived dangerous event or stimuli would result in a physiological response known as the ‘fight or flight’ response, which prepares the person to either confront the danger or avoid it whereas, the cognitive aspect of emotion would be interpreting the person’s feelings and processing the proper response for it. Thus, a bidirectional relationship does exist between the cognitive and biological factors in
Eye contact also plays a vital role in effective communication. There are times when we experience words that come out of our mouth and the ways we communicate through our body language are totally different. In this kind of situation, the receiver has to determine whether to believe verbal or nonverbal message. Regularly the receiver would select the nonverbal as it is more natural and it truly displays the speaker’s true feeling and intention. The gestures such as the way we sit, how fast and how loud we talk and how much eye contact we make send strong messages to the receiver.