Humans reliably orient visual attention towards social signals such as direct gaze, especially when it is established suddenly (i.e. involves motion). Dynamic facial variables, such as emotion expressions, further modulate attention capture by direct gaze.

However, it remains unclear whether stable facial traits influence gaze processing. In two experiments, we examined the impact of two stable facial dimensions – dominance and trustworthiness – on gaze-driven attention. Participants viewed grids containing four versions of the same facial stimulus. Gaze direction (direct, averted) and motion (present, absent) were varied independently: two faces changed gaze direction (sudden-direct and sudden-averted), while two maintained gaze direction (static-direct and static-averted). Stimulus gender and facial trait (high vs. low dominance in Experiment 1; high vs. low trustworthiness in Experiment 2) varied between subjects. Participants identified a target letter appearing on one stimulus per trial via key-press. Reaction times (RTs) for correct responses served as dependent measure.

Replicating established findings, direct (vs. averted) gaze and present (vs. absent) motion both significantly reduced RTs. Additionally, we found generally slower responses to female (vs. male) faces. Facial dominance did not interact with gaze or motion effects. A three-way interaction revealed that low-trustworthiness, gaze-averting female faces elicited notably slower responses than the other conditions. Overall, our results suggest that, unlike transient facial states, stable facial traits do not modulate low-level attentional responses to gaze cues. However, face gender might impact attentional orienting speed, both independently and in conjunction with facial trustworthiness.