The relationship between psychotic-like experiences and facial emotion recognition : an eye movement study

Abstract

The current study examined the impact of face masks on eye movement behaviors and facial emotion recognition in individuals with psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). A total of 90 local young adults were recruited for the current study. By the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences – Positive 15-item Scale (CAPE-P15) cutoff, 37 participants were categorized into the PLEs group, while 53 participants were grouped as healthy controls. Facial Emotion Recognition Task was administered using the eye-tracking equipment to examine the eye movement behaviors and performance in facial emotion recognition. Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM), Stroop Color- Word Test, Flanker Test, Two Back Test, Contour Integration Test, and Digit Symbol Coding Test were administered to examine the cognitive-perceptual abilities. The presence of PLEs was measured by CAPE-P15, Peters et al. Delusion Inventory (PDI- 21), and Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). Psychological distress and functioning were assessed by Hamilton Depressive Rating Scale (HDRS) and the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS), respectively. The Eye Movement analysis with Hidden Markov Models (EMHMM) approach was adopted to process the eye movement data in Facial Emotion Recognition Task. The impact of masks on the performance of facial emotion recognition was quantified using the interference index. In the mixed design ANOVA, the PLEs group had significantly less impact of masks on their eye movement entropy in facial emotion recognition, suggesting that they were more inflexible in adjusting the eye movement strategies under the presence of masks. The changes in eye movement pattern in facial emotion recognition did not differ between the PLEs and control groups. PLEs group also did not have a significantly more impact of masks on their facial emotion recognition accuracy. However, positive relationship was identified between CAPEP15 and the interference index of FER ACC, suggesting that individuals with more state PLEs would have more impact of masks on their facial emotion recognition accuracy. The current study provided some evidence on the cognitive inflexibility in the social context in individuals with PLEs, particularly in their adjustment in eye movement when recognizing facial emotion in the masked condition. Our findings also shine a light on the potential difficulties of facial emotion recognition in individuals with high severity of PLEs under the usage of face masks in COVID-19.