Separable processes for live “in-person” and “zoom-like” faces

Increased reliance on Zoom-like (webcam) platforms for interpersonal communications has raised the question of how this new virtual format compares to real face-to-face interactions. This question is also relevant to current models of face processing. Neural coding of simulated faces engages feature-selective processes in the ventral visual stream and two-person live face-to-face interactions engage additional face processes in the lateral and dorsal visual streams. However, it is not known if and/or how live in-person face processes differ from live virtual face processes because the faces and tasks are essentially the same. Current views of functional specificity predict no neural difference between the virtual and live conditions. Here we compare the same live faces viewed both over a video format and in person with measures of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), eye tracking, pupillometry, and electroencephalography (EEG). Neural activity was increased in dorsal regions f..., Participants
Sample size was determined by a power analysis based on prior face gaze experiments (Noah, et al, 2020) where peak brain activations between task and rest in the rTPJ were 0.00055 + 0.0003 and the distance (signal difference/standard deviation) was 0.534. Using the “pwr” package of R statistical software (Champely, 2020) at a significance of p < 0.05 the sample must include 23 participants to ensure the conventional power of 0.80. Our sample size of 28 meets and exceeds that standard.
All participants provided written informed consent in accordance with guidelines approved by the Yale University Human Investigation Committee (HIC # 1501015178). Dyads were assigned in order of recruitment, and participants were either strangers before the experiment or casually acquainted. Participants were not stratified further by affiliation or dyad gender mix. Six pairs were mixed gender, six pairs were female-female, and two pairs were male-male. 
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Each dyad participated in t..., , # Separable processes for live “in-person” and “zoom-like” faces

Included in the compressed folder (\"AllData.zip.00X\") are the data collected from typically developing participants engaged in three face-viewing tasks. The tasks include a live, face-to-face interaction with a partner, a webcam-based interaction with the same partner, similar to Zoom, Skype, or Teams web conferencing, and a third interaction that shows the participants their face on the monitor in front of them. The data include functional near-infrared spectroscopic (FNIRS) recorded with a Shimadzu LABNIRS, and EEG data (g.tec g.USB) recorded from both partners during the interactive tasks. The zipped folder also included the 3D localizer information for each participant. The zipped folder is separated into 100MB file sizes for up and downloading purposes.

## Description of the Data and file structure

All data is made available in CSV text format and can be opened with any text-reading application.

The data file inc...