www.studentposters.co.uk

Visions of future research:

There is overwhelming evidence that the presence of others or a cue to

others impacts behaviour. The association between a face and an

individual is undeniable strong; even inanimate objects (eyespots) illicit a

small response. This is particularly exciting to the field of social

neuroscience and in the quest to identify areas in the brain for facial

processing. However, it is useful to carefully consider the intricacies of this

effect. Given the salience of faces, further research is needed to determine

whether eyes actually serve as a social cue or simply increase attention to

the stimulus and hence compliance.

FootnotesHand-washing has been noted as the most cost effective intervention for the worldwide control of disease. It is

recognised as important in controlling of the spread of bacteria, infections and viral outbreak and is the primary

defense against the transmission of harmful diseases such as Malaria. CDC

^In a innovative study, pictures of eyes placed on an ‘honesty box’ yielded four times more money per litre of milk

used than pictures of flowers.

References^Bateson, M., Nettle, D., & Roberts, G. (2006). Cues of being watched enhance cooperation in a real-

world setting. Biology Letters, 2(3), 412-414.

*Drankiewicz,D. & Dundes, L. (2003). Handwashing among female college students. Am J Infect

Control, 67-71

Nalbone, D.P., Lee, K.P., Suroviak, A. R. & Lannon, J.M. (2005). The effects of social norms on male

hygiene Ind Diff Res, 3, 171-176

Fig. 1: Graph showing mean soap-ratio for male and females across conditions

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

Face Inverted Message Control

Conditions

Mea

n so

ap-r

atio

MaleFemale

Abstract

Introduction In the presence of others normative behaviours such as hand-washing are more readily performed. This study tested whether a face-like cue would also work to increase hand washing.

Method Three test stimuli were used along with a no-treatment control. Signs and ‘face-spots’ were placed above bathroom mirrors in a public facility and changed daily in random order. Soap use and entry were recorded wirelessly.

Results For males the hypothesis was confirmed; handwashing rates were greatest on test-days when the face cue was used. These results were reversed for females with a ‘bogus test’ stimulus having a larger effect on hand washing.

Conclusion: There are implications for further research on the intricacies of the effect of eyes on behaviour.

Effect of a Face-like Cue on HandwashingCraig McClaren-Kennedy, Gaby Judah, Grace Warren

Introduction: Much of human behaviour is governed by social rules. Hand-washing is one such normative behaviour and the presence of others have significant impact on whether it is performed. Nalbone et. al showed that males in a restroom are more likely to wash their hands when in the presence of another (94%), than when alone (44%). Similar results have been found in females, college students, and health care workers. Given the importance of hand-washing to hygiene and public health further investigation is warranted. Why eye spots? Research in the field of cognitive and social neuroscience has shown the importance of faces to human attention. Combining these effects studies have found that facial patterns work as social cues and increase generousity, honesty and other prosocial behaviour in both natural and virtual settings^. This study sought to test the use of social cues in a public restroom hand washing. Would a face-like stimulus also increase hand-washing? Will it work more than other cues?

Method: Three test stimuli were used along with a blank control; face-like dots with a message, ‘bogus’ inverted dots with a message, and a message alone (Fig. 1). Signs were mounted on each bathroom mirror in a public facility. Bathroom entry and soap use were recorded using wireless sensors for 12 consecutive working days and signs were randomly distributed across days. A total of 32 715 male and 17 082 female participants were included in the study.

Results: Ratio of soap per entry was calculated and analysis performed on mean soap-ratio per condition. For males, a significant effect of condition was observed F(3,270)=11.856. All stimuli had a positive impact on hand-washing over the blank control, and the face cue accounted for the largest soap-ratio. For females this trend was reversed and the presence of the face-stimulus reduced soap-use compared to the ‘bogus’ counterpart, F(4,261)=6.13.Number of entries predicted handwashing in both males and females. For males this effect was most pronounced in the face condition; as the number of entries increased, the rate of increase of hand-washing was greater than in any other stimulus

Discussion: A face-like stimulus served to increase handwashing over other stimuli in males but a reverse effect is observed in females. A similar study noted atypical results for females. Research on the gender difference is recommended. The stimuli used in this study was particularly weak and lacked the visual contrast in the eye region needed for face processing.

What we found

There was an effect of condition on soap use in both groups. Hand-

washing was significantly higher in males, but lower in females.

Wash your hands with

soap

Fig. 2 The face like pattern used in this

experiment.

Similar figures have been used with great effect and engender cooperation and honesty among participants.

One important feature is the strong contrast within the eye region which denote pupils. The original

experimental stimulus lacked this contrast as it was

printed on white paper.