Citation

Doyle JN, Watt MC, Howse M, Blair K, Hauf P. Can. J. Behav. Sci. 2022; 54(3): 173-181.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Canadian Psychological Association, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1037/cbs0000269

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

"Creepiness" is a commonly reported but little understood or empirically studied phenomenon. The present research sought to extend seminal work conducted by McAndrew and Koehnke (2016) and Watt et al. (2017) by examining the role of the ambiguity of threat, and attendance to eyes (vs. other facial regions) in perceptions of creepiness. In Study 1 (N = 254; 79% female) participants completed measures of discomfort with ambiguity, intolerance of uncertainty, and fear of the unknown; then rated 30 facial images for creepiness, trustworthiness, and attractiveness. High discomfort with ambiguity (vs. intolerance of uncertainty and fear of unknown) best predicted creepiness ratings. Study 2 (N = 32; 67% female) utilized eye-tracking to evaluate how observers attended to the eye and noneye regions of two creepy and two neutral male facial images derived from Study 1.

RESULTS showed participants fixated significantly longer on the eyes (vs. noneyes) for all facial images.

RESULTS are discussed in terms of implications for how we assess risk in daily life, and for those deemed to be creepy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

Keywords

Cognitive Processes; Fear; Physical Attractiveness; Physical Comfort; Risk Assessment; Stimulus Ambiguity; Test Construction; Tolerance for Ambiguity; Trust (Social Behavior); Uncertainty; Visual Tracking