Down Syndrome Cognitive Constraints to Recognize Negative Emotion Face Information: Eye Tracking Correlates

Abstract

Eye gaze correlates to emotion face recognition were obtained from a sample with Down syndrome (DS) as well as from a sample of typical individuals to look for gaze pattern differences between both. The goal was to determine if possible face scanning patterns might be related to different styles of cognitive automatic processing of emotion faces information. First, after IQ control, participants were required to take an affective priming study. This emotion recognition studies allowed appropriate selection of DS showing typical negative face recognition difficulties. Then, both samples took a formative eye tracking study in order to identify gaze correlates typifying them. Results showed that participants with DS have atypical eye fixation patterns regarding emotion faces recognition. In particular, they seem to intentionally avoid fixating on the eyes of presented photographs of emotion faces. This face scanning patterns might contribute to their difficulties to recognize negative face information. It is argued that this kind of cognitive processing of emotion facial information obeys to an acquired affective style.