Emotional and visual responses to trypophobic images with object, animal, or human body backgrounds: an eye-tracking study
BackgroundTrypophobia refers to the visual discomfort (e.g., disgust or anxiety) experienced by some people when viewing clusters of bumps or holes. The spectral profile framework suggests that the spectral components of clustered patterns induces trypophobia. In contrast, the cognitive framework sp...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1467608/full |
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| author | Pengfei Yu Li Yu Li Yu Yuting Li Cheng Qian Jia Hu Weiyi Zhu Fang Liu Fang Liu Qi Wang Qi Wang Qi Wang |
| author_facet | Pengfei Yu Li Yu Li Yu Yuting Li Cheng Qian Jia Hu Weiyi Zhu Fang Liu Fang Liu Qi Wang Qi Wang Qi Wang |
| author_sort | Pengfei Yu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundTrypophobia refers to the visual discomfort (e.g., disgust or anxiety) experienced by some people when viewing clusters of bumps or holes. The spectral profile framework suggests that the spectral components of clustered patterns induces trypophobia. In contrast, the cognitive framework speculates that cognitive appraisal of dangerous objects (e.g., ectoparasites) causes trypophobia. A background effect (e.g., more disgust toward trypophobic patterns on the skin than on a desk) seems to support the cognitive framework. However, there is no study providing objective evidence for that effect and verifying these frameworks at the same time. This study aims to address that limitation by psychometric and eye-tracking experiments.MethodsWe recruited 183 participants from colleges. Initially, participants finished a personality questionnaire. The cohort then completed an eye-tracking experiment which showed the trypophobic pattern of lotus seed on three categories of background images (objects, animals and human bodies). Finally, participants rated the image’s disgust and arousal levels using a self-assessment rating scale. Meanwhile, we compared all images’ luminosity and power spectra.ResultsTrypophobic images with the human body or animal backgrounds induced a higher level of disgust and arousal than those with the object backgrounds. Participants gazed faster and dwelled longer at the trypophobic patterns on human body images than on object or animal images. Furthermore, trypophobic images with human body or animal backgrounds induced more substantial pupil dilation than those upon object backgrounds. No significant difference was detected between the power of trypophobic images with human body backgrounds and objects backgrounds. As the trypophobic images with human body backgrounds induced significant emotional or visual responses compared to those with inanimate object backgrounds. Such inconsistent results imply that the differential emotional or visual responses to trypophobic images are probably not induced by the difference in power spectra. Finally, the disgust/arousal level toward trypophobic images did not correlate with personality traits.ConclusionThese results supported the background effect of trypophobia, namely, trypophobic images with animal or human body backgrounds induce more severe disgust and cause more arousal than those with object backgrounds. Our results support the cognitive, but not spectral profile, framework of trypophobia. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1cd00a6a225a49d19d135339a79ad248 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-1cd00a6a225a49d19d135339a79ad2482025-08-20T01:56:53ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782024-12-011510.3389/fpsyg.2024.14676081467608Emotional and visual responses to trypophobic images with object, animal, or human body backgrounds: an eye-tracking studyPengfei Yu0Li Yu1Li Yu2Yuting Li3Cheng Qian4Jia Hu5Weiyi Zhu6Fang Liu7Fang Liu8Qi Wang9Qi Wang10Qi Wang11School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaXinchang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Xinchang, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaInstitute of Mental Health and Drug Discovery, Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaWenzhou Key Laboratory of Basic and Translational Research for Mental Disorders, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaAffiliated Kangning Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaBackgroundTrypophobia refers to the visual discomfort (e.g., disgust or anxiety) experienced by some people when viewing clusters of bumps or holes. The spectral profile framework suggests that the spectral components of clustered patterns induces trypophobia. In contrast, the cognitive framework speculates that cognitive appraisal of dangerous objects (e.g., ectoparasites) causes trypophobia. A background effect (e.g., more disgust toward trypophobic patterns on the skin than on a desk) seems to support the cognitive framework. However, there is no study providing objective evidence for that effect and verifying these frameworks at the same time. This study aims to address that limitation by psychometric and eye-tracking experiments.MethodsWe recruited 183 participants from colleges. Initially, participants finished a personality questionnaire. The cohort then completed an eye-tracking experiment which showed the trypophobic pattern of lotus seed on three categories of background images (objects, animals and human bodies). Finally, participants rated the image’s disgust and arousal levels using a self-assessment rating scale. Meanwhile, we compared all images’ luminosity and power spectra.ResultsTrypophobic images with the human body or animal backgrounds induced a higher level of disgust and arousal than those with the object backgrounds. Participants gazed faster and dwelled longer at the trypophobic patterns on human body images than on object or animal images. Furthermore, trypophobic images with human body or animal backgrounds induced more substantial pupil dilation than those upon object backgrounds. No significant difference was detected between the power of trypophobic images with human body backgrounds and objects backgrounds. As the trypophobic images with human body backgrounds induced significant emotional or visual responses compared to those with inanimate object backgrounds. Such inconsistent results imply that the differential emotional or visual responses to trypophobic images are probably not induced by the difference in power spectra. Finally, the disgust/arousal level toward trypophobic images did not correlate with personality traits.ConclusionThese results supported the background effect of trypophobia, namely, trypophobic images with animal or human body backgrounds induce more severe disgust and cause more arousal than those with object backgrounds. Our results support the cognitive, but not spectral profile, framework of trypophobia.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1467608/fulltrypophobiaeye trackingdisgustarousalpupil |
| spellingShingle | Pengfei Yu Li Yu Li Yu Yuting Li Cheng Qian Jia Hu Weiyi Zhu Fang Liu Fang Liu Qi Wang Qi Wang Qi Wang Emotional and visual responses to trypophobic images with object, animal, or human body backgrounds: an eye-tracking study Frontiers in Psychology trypophobia eye tracking disgust arousal pupil |
| title | Emotional and visual responses to trypophobic images with object, animal, or human body backgrounds: an eye-tracking study |
| title_full | Emotional and visual responses to trypophobic images with object, animal, or human body backgrounds: an eye-tracking study |
| title_fullStr | Emotional and visual responses to trypophobic images with object, animal, or human body backgrounds: an eye-tracking study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emotional and visual responses to trypophobic images with object, animal, or human body backgrounds: an eye-tracking study |
| title_short | Emotional and visual responses to trypophobic images with object, animal, or human body backgrounds: an eye-tracking study |
| title_sort | emotional and visual responses to trypophobic images with object animal or human body backgrounds an eye tracking study |
| topic | trypophobia eye tracking disgust arousal pupil |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1467608/full |
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