The effects of visual attention on social behavior

Psychology has made tremendous strides in understanding the effects that social stimuli have on attention. However, one aspect that has received relatively less consideration is the role that attention plays in social interactions. The present review examines how attentional orienting, engagement, and communication affect and shape a diverse array of social processes, including person perception, discrimination, and group structures. Specifically, the empirical evidence reviewed here points to the notions that (1) attentional orienting mediates learning and acquisition of others' attitudes and reflects or reinforces the use of stereotypical social information; (2) attentional engagement increases the accuracy of impression formation and modulates impression valence (positive vs. negative) depending on contextual and cultural factors; (3) attentional communication conveys socially appropriate behavior depending on interpersonal factors such as familiarity, intimacy, and social status. Overall, this review reveals that the links between cognitive and social psychology are strong and bidirectional, binds that hold the potential for many new and exciting discoveries in the near future.