An Eye Tracking Study Examining the Role of Mating Strategies, Perceived Vulnerability to Disease, and Disgust in Attention to Pathogenic Cues

Ray Garza; Farid Pazhoohi; Laith Al-Shawaf; Jennifer Byrd-Craven

doi:10.1007/s40750-023-00211-4

An Eye Tracking Study Examining the Role of Mating Strategies, Perceived Vulnerability to Disease, and Disgust in Attention to Pathogenic Cues

Adapt Human Behav Physiol. 2023;9(1):72-87. doi: 10.1007/s40750-023-00211-4. Epub 2023 Mar 1.

Authors

Ray Garza¹, Farid Pazhoohi², Laith Al-Shawaf³, Jennifer Byrd-Craven⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology and Communication, Texas A&M International University, 5201 University Blvd, 78041 Laredo, TX USA.
² Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, V6T 1Z4 Vancouver, BC Canada.
³ Department of Psychology, University of Colorado- Colorado Springs, 1420 Austin Bluffs Pkwy, Colorado Springs, 80918 Colorado Springs, CO USA.
⁴ The Oklahoma Center for Evolutionary Analysis (OCEAN), Oklahoma State University, 116 Psychology Building, 74078 Stillwater, OK USA.

Abstract

Disgust is an emotion that regulates disease avoidance and reduces the likelihood of pathogenic infections. Existing research suggests a bidirectional relationship between disgust and mating, where disgust inhibits sexual behavior and sexual behavior inhibits disgust. In the current study, we investigated the role of individual differences and mating motivations on visual attention to pathogenic cues. Participants (N = 103) were randomly assigned to a mating prime or control condition, and they were asked to view images of pathogenic cues (i.e., rotten food, exposed cuts, bodily fluids) paired with their non-pathogenic counterparts. The findings showed no effect of mating prime on visual attention to pathogenic stimuli; however, dispositional mating strategies (SOI-R) were associated with attention to pathogenic stimuli. Individuals with unrestricted sociosexual orientations viewed pathogenic stimuli longer. The findings demonstrate that dispositional mating orientation is associated with greater attention to disgusting images, a link between pathogens and mating orientation that warrants further exploration.

Keywords: Attention; Disgust; Eye-tracking; Mating; Pathogens; Sociosexual orientation.

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