First impressions from faces in dynamic approach–avoidance contexts.

Abstract

Theoretical understanding of first impressions from faces has been closely associated with the proposal that rapid approach-avoidance decisions are needed during social interactions. Nevertheless, experimental work has rarely examined first impressions of people who are actually moving-instead extrapolating from photographic images.In six experiments, we describe the relationship between social attributions (dominance and trustworthiness) and the motion and apparent intent of a perceived person. We first show strong correspondence between judgments of photos and avatars of the same people (Experiment 1). Avatars were rated as more dominant and trustworthy when walking toward the viewer than when stationary (Experiment 2). Furthermore, avatars approaching the viewer were rated as more dominant than those avoiding (walking past) the viewer, or remaining stationary (Experiment 3). Trustworthiness was increased by movement, but not affected by approaching/avoiding paths. Surprisingly, dominance ratings increased both when avatars were approaching and being approached (Experiments 4-6), independently of agency. However, diverging movement (moving backward) reduced dominance ratings-again independently of agency (Experiment 6). These results demonstrate the close link between dominance judgments and approach and show the updatable nature of first impressions-their formation depended on the immediate dynamic context in a more subtle manner than previously suggested. Public Significance StatementPrior research demonstrates that we form first impressions from brief exposures to faces and that these impressions can influence our subsequent behavior in meaningful ways. However, the preponderance of evidence on this topic comes from studies using static photographs. Here we use animated avatars to investigate the effects of movement on first impressions. We find that movement alone increases impressions of trustworthiness while specifically approach-related movement increases impressions of dominance. Together these data demonstrate that theories of first impressions should accommodate for their dynamic and flexible nature, even within the first seconds of exposure.

The social factors behind the mask: contextual effects on trait impressions from faces wearing a face mask

“…This would allow not only to manipulate the background scenarios in a more ecologically valid way, but also to introduce the manipulation of novel factors, such as the specific behaviors performed by the actor. For instance, first impressions from faces differ as a function of whether the target is stationary or is moving toward the viewer (Trifonova et al, 2024 ), and it would thus be important to outline how these dynamic factors further intervene in modulating the perception of mask wearers.…”