Selective binding of facial features reveals dynamic expression fragments

Sci Rep. 2018 Jun 13;8(1):9031. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-27242-2.

Abstract

The temporal correspondence between two arbitrarily chosen pairs of alternating features can generally be reported for rates up to 3-4 Hz. This limit is however surpassed for specialised visual mechanisms that encode conjunctions of features. Here we show that this 3-4 Hz limit is exceeded for eye gaze and eyebrow pairing, but not for eye gaze and mouth pairing, suggesting combined eye and eyebrow motion constitutes a dynamic expression fragment; a building block of superordinate facial actions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Attention / physiology
  • Eye Movements / physiology
  • Face / physiology*
  • Facial Expression*
  • Female
  • Fixation, Ocular / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Motion Perception / physiology
  • Mouth / physiology*
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Young Adult