Emotional response in babies' pupil contagion

Yuki Tsuji; So Kanazawa; Masami K Yamaguchi

doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105801

Emotional response in babies' pupil contagion

J Exp Child Psychol. 2024 Feb:238:105801. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105801. Epub 2023 Oct 24.

Authors

Yuki Tsuji¹, So Kanazawa², Masami K Yamaguchi³

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Cultural Sciences, Chuo University, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0393, Japan; Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083, Japan. Electronic address: tsuji-chuo@tamacc.chuo-u.ac.jp.
² Department of Psychology, Japan Women's University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8681, Japan.
³ Department of Psychology, Chuo University, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo 192-0393, Japan.

PMID: 37883903
DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105801

Abstract

In this study, it was investigated whether an emotional response would occur in pupil contagion by using skin conductance response (SCR) in 5- and 6-month-old infants. In the experiment, emotional responses to pupil diameter change (dilating/constricting) between the face and eyes regions were compared by using pupil diameter response and SCR. The results showed that pupil diameter responses to pupil diameter changes did not differ between face and eyes regions. The emotional response indicated by the SCR significantly increased when participants looked at dilating pupils of face stimuli compared with when participants looked at constricted pupils of face stimuli. In addition, we found a significant correlation between SCR and pupil dilation in the face. This means that pupil diameter expansion significantly increases emotional response in pupil dilation of the face region.

Keywords: Emotional response; Face; Infant; Pupil contagion; Skin conductance response.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Emotions* / physiology
Face
Humans
Infant
Pupil* / physiology