Neural correlates of eye contact in face-to-face verbal interaction: An EEG-based study of the extraversion personality trait

PLoS One. 2019 Jul 25;14(7):e0219839. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219839. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

The extraversion personality trait has a positive correlation with social interaction. In neuroimaging studies, investigations on extraversion in face-to-face verbal interactions are still scarce. This study presents an electroencephalography (EEG)-based investigation of the extraversion personality trait in relation to eye contact during face-to-face interactions, as this is a vital signal in social interactions. A sample of healthy male participants were selected (consisting of sixteen more extraverted and sixteen less extraverted individuals) and evaluated with the Eysenck's Personality Inventory (EPI) and Big Five Inventory (BFI) tools. EEG alpha oscillations in the occipital region were measured to investigate extraversion personality trait correlates of eye contact during a face-to-face interaction task and an eyes-open condition. The results revealed that the extraversion personality trait has a significant positive correlation with EEG alpha coherence in the occipital region, presumably due to its relationship with eye contact during the interaction task. Furthermore, the decrease in EEG alpha power during the interaction task compared to the eyes-open condition was found to be greater in the less extraverted participants; however, no significant difference was observed between the less and more extraverted participants. Overall, these findings encourage further research towards the understanding of neural mechanism correlates of the extraversion personality trait-particularly in social interaction.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Electroencephalography
  • Extraversion, Psychological*
  • Healthy Volunteers / psychology*
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations
  • Male
  • Occipital Lobe / physiology*
  • Personality Inventory
  • Self-Assessment
  • Social Behavior
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

This research work has been supported by Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia under Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE) Scheme (Ref No. 015MA0-001) to CISIR and Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS; Ref No. FRGS/1/2016/TK04/UTP/03/3) to Lila Iznita Izhar. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.