Impact of Gaze in Social Exclusion

Social exclusion involves isolating an individual from a social group, causing an immediate reflexive pain and emotional distress due to the threatened fundamental human need to belong. The minimal acknowledgement hypothesis argues even the most minimal inclusionary or hostile existential cues signaling acknowledgement can reduce the sting of exclusion. This project aims to explore if the Cyberball task shows a decreased ostracism-related effect when exclusion is explicit, i.e., acknowledgement of presence is conveyed through gaze.