Slide
Centre Interdisciplinaire
de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
1.
Gingras, F.; Fiset, D.; Plouffe-Demers, M. -P.; Estéphan, A.; N’Guiamba, M.; Sun, D.; Zhang, Y.; Blais, C.
Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli Journal Article
In: Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, vol. 33, no. 1, 2026, ISSN: 10699384 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult
@article{gingras_cultural_2026,
title = {Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli},
author = {F. Gingras and D. Fiset and M. -P. Plouffe-Demers and A. Estéphan and M. N’Guiamba and D. Sun and Y. Zhang and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105025378146&doi=10.3758%2Fs13423-025-02832-0&partnerID=40&md5=43840b8cfa4c2df54e647f03a452f8e5},
doi = {10.3758/s13423-025-02832-0},
issn = {10699384 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Psychonomic Bulletin and Review},
volume = {33},
number = {1},
abstract = {Previous research has identified cultural differences in visual perception, where East Asians focus more on global object structure and display a larger breadth of attention compared with Westerners. East Asians rely on lower spatial frequencies (SFs) compared to Westerners for face recognition, which may be linked to this. Investigating whether such differences extend to other high-level stimulus categories would clarify if SF tuning differences reflect more general or face specific cognitive processes. The present study compared the SF tunings of Canadians and Chinese during object (Exp. 1; N = 50) and scene (Exp. 3; N = 47) categorization. In both experiments, results did not indicate a significant difference between groups. In Experiment 3 (N = 128), we conducted an online replication of Experiment 1 while measuring the SF tunings of the same participants during face perception. Again, no significant difference between the groups was found during object categorization, but the finding that East Asians rely on lower SF than Westerners was replicated. Together, these results suggest that unique mechanisms may underlie the cultural differences in face processing, though alternative explanations, such as the feature consistency of faces, could also account for these findings. © The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2025.},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Previous research has identified cultural differences in visual perception, where East Asians focus more on global object structure and display a larger breadth of attention compared with Westerners. East Asians rely on lower spatial frequencies (SFs) compared to Westerners for face recognition, which may be linked to this. Investigating whether such differences extend to other high-level stimulus categories would clarify if SF tuning differences reflect more general or face specific cognitive processes. The present study compared the SF tunings of Canadians and Chinese during object (Exp. 1; N = 50) and scene (Exp. 3; N = 47) categorization. In both experiments, results did not indicate a significant difference between groups. In Experiment 3 (N = 128), we conducted an online replication of Experiment 1 while measuring the SF tunings of the same participants during face perception. Again, no significant difference between the groups was found during object categorization, but the finding that East Asians rely on lower SF than Westerners was replicated. Together, these results suggest that unique mechanisms may underlie the cultural differences in face processing, though alternative explanations, such as the feature consistency of faces, could also account for these findings. © The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2025.
2.
Alessandra, G.; Beatrice, D. M.; Sara, C.; Roberta, M.; Martina, V.; Patrycja, K.; Maurizio, B.; Luca, B.; Adelaide, D. V. Laura; Stéphane, B.
In: British Journal of Health Psychology, vol. 31, no. 1, 2026, ISSN: 1359107X (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, controlled study, female, Heart Rate, human, Humans, hypertension, Immersive virtual reality, mental stress, Middle Aged, Narration, pathophysiology, physiology, Pilot Projects, pilot study, procedures, Psychological, psychology, Pulmonary, pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, randomized controlled trial, rehabilitation, relaxation, Relaxation Therapy, relaxation training, Stress, Therapy, verbal communication, virtual reality
@article{alessandra_preselected_2026,
title = {Preselected and preferred immersive virtual reality versus narrative alone to induce post-stress relaxation in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension: A pilot study on perceived stress and heart rate},
author = {G. Alessandra and D. M. Beatrice and C. Sara and M. Roberta and V. Martina and K. Patrycja and B. Maurizio and B. Luca and D. V. Laura Adelaide and B. Stéphane},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105029595132&doi=10.1111%2Fbjhp.70059&partnerID=40&md5=b86f0151066a7923d8854913cbd54318},
doi = {10.1111/bjhp.70059},
issn = {1359107X (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {British Journal of Health Psychology},
volume = {31},
number = {1},
abstract = {Objectives: Several studies have shown the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (IVR)-based relaxation techniques in alleviating stress within the general population. However, few data are available on patients, or on the effectiveness of different scenarios in inducing relaxation. This pilot study aims to compare the effectiveness of three relaxation techniques—preselected IVR (IVR-PS), preferred IVR (i.e. chosen by the participant from different alternatives—IVR-PR), and narrative alone (CTR)—in reducing physiological and psychological stress in 16 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) female patients (N = 16, average age: 46 ± 10.66 years; average education: 13.31 ± 3.8 years; mean duration of illness: 8.56 ± 5.24 years) following an acute stress. Methods: Patients performed a mental stress test followed by three different relaxation sessions presented in a randomized order on three separate occasions. Self-perceived stress, level of relaxation, and heart rate (HR) were monitored during the sessions. Participants' ratings of their experiences were also collected. Results: The results indicated that the three relaxation methods were equally effective in reducing perceived stress induced by acute stress and in lowering HR. However, greater cognitive activation was reported in the two IVR conditions compared with the narrative condition. Conclusions: This is the first study to show evidence of the impact of IVR on a rare population. Despite the lack of significant differences between the two IVR and narrative-alone conditions in physiological and subjective relaxation, more than half of the participants expressed a subjective preference for the virtual experience, especially for the preferred one. © 2026 The Author(s). British Journal of Health Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.},
keywords = {adult, controlled study, female, Heart Rate, human, Humans, hypertension, Immersive virtual reality, mental stress, Middle Aged, Narration, pathophysiology, physiology, Pilot Projects, pilot study, procedures, Psychological, psychology, Pulmonary, pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, randomized controlled trial, rehabilitation, relaxation, Relaxation Therapy, relaxation training, Stress, Therapy, verbal communication, virtual reality},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Objectives: Several studies have shown the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (IVR)-based relaxation techniques in alleviating stress within the general population. However, few data are available on patients, or on the effectiveness of different scenarios in inducing relaxation. This pilot study aims to compare the effectiveness of three relaxation techniques—preselected IVR (IVR-PS), preferred IVR (i.e. chosen by the participant from different alternatives—IVR-PR), and narrative alone (CTR)—in reducing physiological and psychological stress in 16 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) female patients (N = 16, average age: 46 ± 10.66 years; average education: 13.31 ± 3.8 years; mean duration of illness: 8.56 ± 5.24 years) following an acute stress. Methods: Patients performed a mental stress test followed by three different relaxation sessions presented in a randomized order on three separate occasions. Self-perceived stress, level of relaxation, and heart rate (HR) were monitored during the sessions. Participants' ratings of their experiences were also collected. Results: The results indicated that the three relaxation methods were equally effective in reducing perceived stress induced by acute stress and in lowering HR. However, greater cognitive activation was reported in the two IVR conditions compared with the narrative condition. Conclusions: This is the first study to show evidence of the impact of IVR on a rare population. Despite the lack of significant differences between the two IVR and narrative-alone conditions in physiological and subjective relaxation, more than half of the participants expressed a subjective preference for the virtual experience, especially for the preferred one. © 2026 The Author(s). British Journal of Health Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.
3.
Gingras, F.; Fiset, D.; Plouffe-Demers, M. -P.; Estéphan, A.; N’Guiamba, M.; Sun, D.; Zhang, Y.; Blais, C.
Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli Journal Article
In: Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, vol. 33, no. 1, 2026, ISSN: 10699384 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult
@article{gingrasCulturalDifferencesSpatial2026,
title = {Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli},
author = {F. Gingras and D. Fiset and M. -P. Plouffe-Demers and A. Estéphan and M. N’Guiamba and D. Sun and Y. Zhang and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105025378146?origin=resultslist},
doi = {10.3758/s13423-025-02832-0},
issn = {10699384 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Psychonomic Bulletin and Review},
volume = {33},
number = {1},
publisher = {Springer},
abstract = {Previous research has identified cultural differences in visual perception, where East Asians focus more on global object structure and display a larger breadth of attention compared with Westerners. East Asians rely on lower spatial frequencies (SFs) compared to Westerners for face recognition, which may be linked to this. Investigating whether such differences extend to other high-level stimulus categories would clarify if SF tuning differences reflect more general or face specific cognitive processes. The present study compared the SF tunings of Canadians and Chinese during object (Exp. 1; N = 50) and scene (Exp. 3; N = 47) categorization. In both experiments, results did not indicate a significant difference between groups. In Experiment 3 (N = 128), we conducted an online replication of Experiment 1 while measuring the SF tunings of the same participants during face perception. Again, no significant difference between the groups was found during object categorization, but the finding that East Asians rely on lower SF than Westerners was replicated. Together, these results suggest that unique mechanisms may underlie the cultural differences in face processing, though alternative explanations, such as the feature consistency of faces, could also account for these findings. © The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2025.},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Previous research has identified cultural differences in visual perception, where East Asians focus more on global object structure and display a larger breadth of attention compared with Westerners. East Asians rely on lower spatial frequencies (SFs) compared to Westerners for face recognition, which may be linked to this. Investigating whether such differences extend to other high-level stimulus categories would clarify if SF tuning differences reflect more general or face specific cognitive processes. The present study compared the SF tunings of Canadians and Chinese during object (Exp. 1; N = 50) and scene (Exp. 3; N = 47) categorization. In both experiments, results did not indicate a significant difference between groups. In Experiment 3 (N = 128), we conducted an online replication of Experiment 1 while measuring the SF tunings of the same participants during face perception. Again, no significant difference between the groups was found during object categorization, but the finding that East Asians rely on lower SF than Westerners was replicated. Together, these results suggest that unique mechanisms may underlie the cultural differences in face processing, though alternative explanations, such as the feature consistency of faces, could also account for these findings. © The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2025.
4.
Côté, L.; Lamontagne, J.; Bellerose, A.; Blais, C.; Fiset, D.
The eyes are central to face detection: revisiting the foundations of face processing Journal Article
In: Vision Research, vol. 243, 2026, ISSN: 00426989 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, article, Black person, Bubbles, Categorization, Caucasian, Detection, emotion assessment, Eye, Face, Faces, Facial Recognition, facies, female, human, human experiment, Humans, Image analysis, information processing, Information use, male, Noise, normal human, Pattern Recognition, perception, Photic Stimulation, photostimulation, physiology, procedures, Prosopagnosia, psychology, recognition, Social Perception, spatial frequency discrimination, task performance, Visual, visual discrimination, visual pattern recognition, Young Adult
@article{coteEyesAreCentral2026,
title = {The eyes are central to face detection: revisiting the foundations of face processing},
author = {L. Côté and J. Lamontagne and A. Bellerose and C. Blais and D. Fiset},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105030389147?origin=resultslist},
doi = {10.1016/j.visres.2026.108785},
issn = {00426989 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Vision Research},
volume = {243},
publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},
abstract = {Face detection feels effortless, yet it requires finely tuned computations to extract socially meaningful signals from the visual stream. Here, we used the Bubbles method to isolate the facial features and spatial frequency information that support face categorization. Across three experiments varying in task demands and visual context, the eye region consistently emerged as the most diagnostic source of information, particularly in high spatial frequencies. This finding held whether participants distinguished faces from noise, from non-face objects, or from real-world categories—suggesting that the eyes serve as an anchor point for categorization across contexts. Strikingly, this diagnostic profile mirrors that found in face identification tasks, implying that detection and recognition may rely on shared perceptual mechanisms rather than sequential, independent processes. This overlap sheds light on longstanding ambiguities in the prosopagnosia literature, indicating that detection impairments found in patients may stem from a broader failure to extract critical eye information. More broadly, our results invite a rethinking of the early stages of face processing, suggesting that detection already involves selective use of diagnostic facial features that supports recognition, emotional decoding, and social perception. © 2026 The Author(s).},
keywords = {adult, article, Black person, Bubbles, Categorization, Caucasian, Detection, emotion assessment, Eye, Face, Faces, Facial Recognition, facies, female, human, human experiment, Humans, Image analysis, information processing, Information use, male, Noise, normal human, Pattern Recognition, perception, Photic Stimulation, photostimulation, physiology, procedures, Prosopagnosia, psychology, recognition, Social Perception, spatial frequency discrimination, task performance, Visual, visual discrimination, visual pattern recognition, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Face detection feels effortless, yet it requires finely tuned computations to extract socially meaningful signals from the visual stream. Here, we used the Bubbles method to isolate the facial features and spatial frequency information that support face categorization. Across three experiments varying in task demands and visual context, the eye region consistently emerged as the most diagnostic source of information, particularly in high spatial frequencies. This finding held whether participants distinguished faces from noise, from non-face objects, or from real-world categories—suggesting that the eyes serve as an anchor point for categorization across contexts. Strikingly, this diagnostic profile mirrors that found in face identification tasks, implying that detection and recognition may rely on shared perceptual mechanisms rather than sequential, independent processes. This overlap sheds light on longstanding ambiguities in the prosopagnosia literature, indicating that detection impairments found in patients may stem from a broader failure to extract critical eye information. More broadly, our results invite a rethinking of the early stages of face processing, suggesting that detection already involves selective use of diagnostic facial features that supports recognition, emotional decoding, and social perception. © 2026 The Author(s).
5.
Ledrou-Paquet, V.; Fiset, D.; Carré, M.; Guérette, J.; Blais, C.
The facial information underlying economic decision-making Journal Article
In: Perception, vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 243–265, 2026, ISSN: 03010066 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Bubbles, decision making, face evaluation, face perception, Facial Expression, Facial Recognition, facial trustworthiness, female, human, Humans, Judgment, male, perception, physiology, psychology, Social Perception, Trust, trust game, trustworthiness, Young Adult
@article{ledrou-paquetFacialInformationUnderlying2026,
title = {The facial information underlying economic decision-making},
author = {V. Ledrou-Paquet and D. Fiset and M. Carré and J. Guérette and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105020458633?origin=resultslist},
doi = {10.1177/03010066251387848},
issn = {03010066 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Perception},
volume = {55},
number = {3},
pages = {243–265},
publisher = {SAGE Publications Ltd},
abstract = {Faces are rapidly and automatically assessed on multiple social dimensions, including trustworthiness. The high inter-rater agreement on this social judgment suggests a systematic association between facial appearance and perceived trustworthiness. The facial information used by observers during explicit trustworthiness judgments has been studied before. However, it remains unknown whether the same perceptual strategies are used during decisions that involve trusting another individual, without necessitating an explicit trustworthiness judgment. To explore this, 53 participants completed the Trust Game, an economic decision task, while facial information was randomly sampled using the Bubbles method. Our results show that economic decisions based on facial cues rely on similar visual information as that used during explicit trustworthiness judgments. We then manipulated facial features identified as diagnostic for trust to test their influence on perceived trustworthiness (Experiment 2) and on trust-related behaviors (Experiment 3). Across all experiments, subtle, targeted changes to facial features systematically shifted both impressions and monetary trust decisions. These findings demonstrate that the same perceptual strategies underlie explicit judgments and trust behaviors, highlighting the applied relevance of even minimal alterations in facial appearance. These findings should be replicated with real faces from diverse demographic backgrounds to confirm their generalizability. © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Bubbles, decision making, face evaluation, face perception, Facial Expression, Facial Recognition, facial trustworthiness, female, human, Humans, Judgment, male, perception, physiology, psychology, Social Perception, Trust, trust game, trustworthiness, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Faces are rapidly and automatically assessed on multiple social dimensions, including trustworthiness. The high inter-rater agreement on this social judgment suggests a systematic association between facial appearance and perceived trustworthiness. The facial information used by observers during explicit trustworthiness judgments has been studied before. However, it remains unknown whether the same perceptual strategies are used during decisions that involve trusting another individual, without necessitating an explicit trustworthiness judgment. To explore this, 53 participants completed the Trust Game, an economic decision task, while facial information was randomly sampled using the Bubbles method. Our results show that economic decisions based on facial cues rely on similar visual information as that used during explicit trustworthiness judgments. We then manipulated facial features identified as diagnostic for trust to test their influence on perceived trustworthiness (Experiment 2) and on trust-related behaviors (Experiment 3). Across all experiments, subtle, targeted changes to facial features systematically shifted both impressions and monetary trust decisions. These findings demonstrate that the same perceptual strategies underlie explicit judgments and trust behaviors, highlighting the applied relevance of even minimal alterations in facial appearance. These findings should be replicated with real faces from diverse demographic backgrounds to confirm their generalizability. © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
6.
Alessandra, G.; Beatrice, D. M.; Sara, C.; Roberta, M.; Martina, V.; Patrycja, K.; Maurizio, B.; Luca, B.; Adelaide, D. V. Laura; Stéphane, B.
In: British Journal of Health Psychology, vol. 31, no. 1, 2026, ISSN: 1359107X (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, controlled study, female, Heart Rate, human, Humans, hypertension, Immersive virtual reality, mental stress, Middle Aged, Narration, pathophysiology, physiology, Pilot Projects, pilot study, procedures, Psychological, psychology, Pulmonary, pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, randomized controlled trial, rehabilitation, relaxation, Relaxation Therapy, relaxation training, Stress, Therapy, verbal communication, virtual reality
@article{alessandraPreselectedPreferredImmersive2026,
title = {Preselected and preferred immersive virtual reality versus narrative alone to induce post-stress relaxation in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension: A pilot study on perceived stress and heart rate},
author = {G. Alessandra and D. M. Beatrice and C. Sara and M. Roberta and V. Martina and K. Patrycja and B. Maurizio and B. Luca and D. V. Laura Adelaide and B. Stéphane},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105029595132?origin=resultslist},
doi = {10.1111/bjhp.70059},
issn = {1359107X (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {British Journal of Health Psychology},
volume = {31},
number = {1},
publisher = {John Wiley and Sons Ltd},
abstract = {Objectives: Several studies have shown the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (IVR)-based relaxation techniques in alleviating stress within the general population. However, few data are available on patients, or on the effectiveness of different scenarios in inducing relaxation. This pilot study aims to compare the effectiveness of three relaxation techniques—preselected IVR (IVR-PS), preferred IVR (i.e. chosen by the participant from different alternatives—IVR-PR), and narrative alone (CTR)—in reducing physiological and psychological stress in 16 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) female patients (N = 16, average age: 46 ± 10.66 years; average education: 13.31 ± 3.8 years; mean duration of illness: 8.56 ± 5.24 years) following an acute stress. Methods: Patients performed a mental stress test followed by three different relaxation sessions presented in a randomized order on three separate occasions. Self-perceived stress, level of relaxation, and heart rate (HR) were monitored during the sessions. Participants' ratings of their experiences were also collected. Results: The results indicated that the three relaxation methods were equally effective in reducing perceived stress induced by acute stress and in lowering HR. However, greater cognitive activation was reported in the two IVR conditions compared with the narrative condition. Conclusions: This is the first study to show evidence of the impact of IVR on a rare population. Despite the lack of significant differences between the two IVR and narrative-alone conditions in physiological and subjective relaxation, more than half of the participants expressed a subjective preference for the virtual experience, especially for the preferred one. © 2026 The Author(s). British Journal of Health Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.},
keywords = {adult, controlled study, female, Heart Rate, human, Humans, hypertension, Immersive virtual reality, mental stress, Middle Aged, Narration, pathophysiology, physiology, Pilot Projects, pilot study, procedures, Psychological, psychology, Pulmonary, pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, randomized controlled trial, rehabilitation, relaxation, Relaxation Therapy, relaxation training, Stress, Therapy, verbal communication, virtual reality},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Objectives: Several studies have shown the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (IVR)-based relaxation techniques in alleviating stress within the general population. However, few data are available on patients, or on the effectiveness of different scenarios in inducing relaxation. This pilot study aims to compare the effectiveness of three relaxation techniques—preselected IVR (IVR-PS), preferred IVR (i.e. chosen by the participant from different alternatives—IVR-PR), and narrative alone (CTR)—in reducing physiological and psychological stress in 16 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) female patients (N = 16, average age: 46 ± 10.66 years; average education: 13.31 ± 3.8 years; mean duration of illness: 8.56 ± 5.24 years) following an acute stress. Methods: Patients performed a mental stress test followed by three different relaxation sessions presented in a randomized order on three separate occasions. Self-perceived stress, level of relaxation, and heart rate (HR) were monitored during the sessions. Participants' ratings of their experiences were also collected. Results: The results indicated that the three relaxation methods were equally effective in reducing perceived stress induced by acute stress and in lowering HR. However, greater cognitive activation was reported in the two IVR conditions compared with the narrative condition. Conclusions: This is the first study to show evidence of the impact of IVR on a rare population. Despite the lack of significant differences between the two IVR and narrative-alone conditions in physiological and subjective relaxation, more than half of the participants expressed a subjective preference for the virtual experience, especially for the preferred one. © 2026 The Author(s). British Journal of Health Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.
7.
Gingras, F.; Fiset, D.; Plouffe-Demers, M. -P.; Estéphan, A.; N’Guiamba, M.; Sun, D.; Zhang, Y.; Blais, C.
Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli Journal Article
In: Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, vol. 33, no. 1, 2026, ISSN: 10699384 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult
@article{gingrasCulturalDifferencesSpatial2026a,
title = {Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli},
author = {F. Gingras and D. Fiset and M. -P. Plouffe-Demers and A. Estéphan and M. N’Guiamba and D. Sun and Y. Zhang and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105025378146&doi=10.3758%2Fs13423-025-02832-0&partnerID=40&md5=43840b8cfa4c2df54e647f03a452f8e5},
doi = {10.3758/s13423-025-02832-0},
issn = {10699384 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Psychonomic Bulletin and Review},
volume = {33},
number = {1},
abstract = {Previous research has identified cultural differences in visual perception, where East Asians focus more on global object structure and display a larger breadth of attention compared with Westerners. East Asians rely on lower spatial frequencies (SFs) compared to Westerners for face recognition, which may be linked to this. Investigating whether such differences extend to other high-level stimulus categories would clarify if SF tuning differences reflect more general or face specific cognitive processes. The present study compared the SF tunings of Canadians and Chinese during object (Exp. 1; N = 50) and scene (Exp. 3; N = 47) categorization. In both experiments, results did not indicate a significant difference between groups. In Experiment 3 (N = 128), we conducted an online replication of Experiment 1 while measuring the SF tunings of the same participants during face perception. Again, no significant difference between the groups was found during object categorization, but the finding that East Asians rely on lower SF than Westerners was replicated. Together, these results suggest that unique mechanisms may underlie the cultural differences in face processing, though alternative explanations, such as the feature consistency of faces, could also account for these findings. © The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2025.},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Previous research has identified cultural differences in visual perception, where East Asians focus more on global object structure and display a larger breadth of attention compared with Westerners. East Asians rely on lower spatial frequencies (SFs) compared to Westerners for face recognition, which may be linked to this. Investigating whether such differences extend to other high-level stimulus categories would clarify if SF tuning differences reflect more general or face specific cognitive processes. The present study compared the SF tunings of Canadians and Chinese during object (Exp. 1; N = 50) and scene (Exp. 3; N = 47) categorization. In both experiments, results did not indicate a significant difference between groups. In Experiment 3 (N = 128), we conducted an online replication of Experiment 1 while measuring the SF tunings of the same participants during face perception. Again, no significant difference between the groups was found during object categorization, but the finding that East Asians rely on lower SF than Westerners was replicated. Together, these results suggest that unique mechanisms may underlie the cultural differences in face processing, though alternative explanations, such as the feature consistency of faces, could also account for these findings. © The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2025.
8.
Gingras, F.; Fiset, D.; Plouffe-Demers, M. -P.; Estéphan, A.; N’Guiamba, M.; Sun, D.; Zhang, Y.; Blais, C.
Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli Journal Article
In: Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, vol. 33, no. 1, 2026, ISSN: 10699384 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult
@article{gingrasCulturalDifferencesSpatial2026b,
title = {Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli},
author = {F. Gingras and D. Fiset and M. -P. Plouffe-Demers and A. Estéphan and M. N’Guiamba and D. Sun and Y. Zhang and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105025378146&doi=10.3758%2Fs13423-025-02832-0&partnerID=40&md5=43840b8cfa4c2df54e647f03a452f8e5},
doi = {10.3758/s13423-025-02832-0},
issn = {10699384 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Psychonomic Bulletin and Review},
volume = {33},
number = {1},
abstract = {Previous research has identified cultural differences in visual perception, where East Asians focus more on global object structure and display a larger breadth of attention compared with Westerners. East Asians rely on lower spatial frequencies (SFs) compared to Westerners for face recognition, which may be linked to this. Investigating whether such differences extend to other high-level stimulus categories would clarify if SF tuning differences reflect more general or face specific cognitive processes. The present study compared the SF tunings of Canadians and Chinese during object (Exp. 1; N = 50) and scene (Exp. 3; N = 47) categorization. In both experiments, results did not indicate a significant difference between groups. In Experiment 3 (N = 128), we conducted an online replication of Experiment 1 while measuring the SF tunings of the same participants during face perception. Again, no significant difference between the groups was found during object categorization, but the finding that East Asians rely on lower SF than Westerners was replicated. Together, these results suggest that unique mechanisms may underlie the cultural differences in face processing, though alternative explanations, such as the feature consistency of faces, could also account for these findings. © The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2025.},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Previous research has identified cultural differences in visual perception, where East Asians focus more on global object structure and display a larger breadth of attention compared with Westerners. East Asians rely on lower spatial frequencies (SFs) compared to Westerners for face recognition, which may be linked to this. Investigating whether such differences extend to other high-level stimulus categories would clarify if SF tuning differences reflect more general or face specific cognitive processes. The present study compared the SF tunings of Canadians and Chinese during object (Exp. 1; N = 50) and scene (Exp. 3; N = 47) categorization. In both experiments, results did not indicate a significant difference between groups. In Experiment 3 (N = 128), we conducted an online replication of Experiment 1 while measuring the SF tunings of the same participants during face perception. Again, no significant difference between the groups was found during object categorization, but the finding that East Asians rely on lower SF than Westerners was replicated. Together, these results suggest that unique mechanisms may underlie the cultural differences in face processing, though alternative explanations, such as the feature consistency of faces, could also account for these findings. © The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2025.
9.
Alessandra, G.; Beatrice, D. M.; Sara, C.; Roberta, M.; Martina, V.; Patrycja, K.; Maurizio, B.; Luca, B.; Adelaide, D. V. Laura; Stéphane, B.
In: British Journal of Health Psychology, vol. 31, no. 1, 2026, ISSN: 1359107X (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, controlled study, female, Heart Rate, human, Humans, hypertension, Immersive virtual reality, mental stress, Middle Aged, Narration, pathophysiology, physiology, Pilot Projects, pilot study, procedures, Psychological, psychology, Pulmonary, pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, randomized controlled trial, rehabilitation, relaxation, Relaxation Therapy, relaxation training, Stress, Therapy, verbal communication, virtual reality
@article{alessandraPreselectedPreferredImmersive2026a,
title = {Preselected and preferred immersive virtual reality versus narrative alone to induce post-stress relaxation in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension: A pilot study on perceived stress and heart rate},
author = {G. Alessandra and D. M. Beatrice and C. Sara and M. Roberta and V. Martina and K. Patrycja and B. Maurizio and B. Luca and D. V. Laura Adelaide and B. Stéphane},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105029595132&doi=10.1111%2Fbjhp.70059&partnerID=40&md5=b86f0151066a7923d8854913cbd54318},
doi = {10.1111/bjhp.70059},
issn = {1359107X (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {British Journal of Health Psychology},
volume = {31},
number = {1},
abstract = {Objectives: Several studies have shown the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (IVR)-based relaxation techniques in alleviating stress within the general population. However, few data are available on patients, or on the effectiveness of different scenarios in inducing relaxation. This pilot study aims to compare the effectiveness of three relaxation techniques—preselected IVR (IVR-PS), preferred IVR (i.e. chosen by the participant from different alternatives—IVR-PR), and narrative alone (CTR)—in reducing physiological and psychological stress in 16 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) female patients (N = 16, average age: 46 ± 10.66 years; average education: 13.31 ± 3.8 years; mean duration of illness: 8.56 ± 5.24 years) following an acute stress. Methods: Patients performed a mental stress test followed by three different relaxation sessions presented in a randomized order on three separate occasions. Self-perceived stress, level of relaxation, and heart rate (HR) were monitored during the sessions. Participants' ratings of their experiences were also collected. Results: The results indicated that the three relaxation methods were equally effective in reducing perceived stress induced by acute stress and in lowering HR. However, greater cognitive activation was reported in the two IVR conditions compared with the narrative condition. Conclusions: This is the first study to show evidence of the impact of IVR on a rare population. Despite the lack of significant differences between the two IVR and narrative-alone conditions in physiological and subjective relaxation, more than half of the participants expressed a subjective preference for the virtual experience, especially for the preferred one. © 2026 The Author(s). British Journal of Health Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.},
keywords = {adult, controlled study, female, Heart Rate, human, Humans, hypertension, Immersive virtual reality, mental stress, Middle Aged, Narration, pathophysiology, physiology, Pilot Projects, pilot study, procedures, Psychological, psychology, Pulmonary, pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, randomized controlled trial, rehabilitation, relaxation, Relaxation Therapy, relaxation training, Stress, Therapy, verbal communication, virtual reality},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Objectives: Several studies have shown the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (IVR)-based relaxation techniques in alleviating stress within the general population. However, few data are available on patients, or on the effectiveness of different scenarios in inducing relaxation. This pilot study aims to compare the effectiveness of three relaxation techniques—preselected IVR (IVR-PS), preferred IVR (i.e. chosen by the participant from different alternatives—IVR-PR), and narrative alone (CTR)—in reducing physiological and psychological stress in 16 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) female patients (N = 16, average age: 46 ± 10.66 years; average education: 13.31 ± 3.8 years; mean duration of illness: 8.56 ± 5.24 years) following an acute stress. Methods: Patients performed a mental stress test followed by three different relaxation sessions presented in a randomized order on three separate occasions. Self-perceived stress, level of relaxation, and heart rate (HR) were monitored during the sessions. Participants' ratings of their experiences were also collected. Results: The results indicated that the three relaxation methods were equally effective in reducing perceived stress induced by acute stress and in lowering HR. However, greater cognitive activation was reported in the two IVR conditions compared with the narrative condition. Conclusions: This is the first study to show evidence of the impact of IVR on a rare population. Despite the lack of significant differences between the two IVR and narrative-alone conditions in physiological and subjective relaxation, more than half of the participants expressed a subjective preference for the virtual experience, especially for the preferred one. © 2026 The Author(s). British Journal of Health Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.
10.
Onita, C. A.; Matei, D. -V.; Chelarasu, E.; Lupu, R. G.; Petrescu-Miron, D.; Visnevschi, A.; Vudu, S.; Corciova, C.; Fuior, R.; Tupita, N.; Bouchard, S.; Mocanu, V.
In: Nutrients, vol. 17, no. 24, 2025, ISSN: 20726643 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: acute stress, Adolescent, Adolescents, adult, article, controlled study, craving, decision making, Eating, eating behavior, ecological validity, electrocardiogram, electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters, Electrocardiography, feeding behavior, female, food craving, food preference, Food Preferences, Heart Rate, human, Humans, hyperphagia, male, mental stress, motivation, normal human, overnutrition, pathophysiology, Perceived Stress Scale, personalized nutrition, physiological stress, physiology, PQ interval, Psychological, psychology, QTc interval, questionnaire, reward, simulation, social stress, Stress, supermarket, Surveys and Questionnaires, three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ), Three-Factor-Eating-Questionnaire, Trier Social Stress Test, virtual reality, virtual supermarket, visual analog scale
@article{onita_virtual_2025,
title = {Virtual Reality Trier Social Stress and Virtual Supermarket Exposure: Electrocardiogram Correlates of Food Craving and Eating Traits in Adolescents},
author = {C. A. Onita and D. -V. Matei and E. Chelarasu and R. G. Lupu and D. Petrescu-Miron and A. Visnevschi and S. Vudu and C. Corciova and R. Fuior and N. Tupita and S. Bouchard and V. Mocanu},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105026068857&doi=10.3390%2Fnu17243924&partnerID=40&md5=fde16e892b1a18284dc51ac869ba8ee9},
doi = {10.3390/nu17243924},
issn = {20726643 (ISSN)},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Nutrients},
volume = {17},
number = {24},
abstract = {Background/Objectives: Acute stress is known to influence food-related motivation and decision-making, often promoting a preference for energy-dense, palatable foods. However, traditional laboratory paradigms have limited ecological validity. This study examined the relationship between stress-induced physiological changes, eating behavior traits, and food cravings using a virtual reality (VR) adaptation of the Trier Social Stress Test (VR-TSST) followed by a VR supermarket task in adolescents. Methods: Thirty-eight adolescents (mean age 15.8 ± 0.6 years) participated in the study. Physiological parameters (HR, QT, PQ intervals) were recorded pre- and post-stress using a portable ECG device (WIWE). Perceived stress and eating behavior traits were evaluated with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R21C), respectively. Immediately after the VR-TSST, participants performed a VR supermarket task in which they rated cravings for sweet, fatty, and healthy foods using visual analog scales (VAS). Paired-samples t-tests examined pre–post changes in physiological parameters, partial correlations explored associations between ECG responses and eating traits, and a 2 × 3 mixed-model Repeated Measures ANOVA assessed the effects of food type (sweet, fatty, healthy) and uncontrolled eating (UE) group (low vs. high) on post-stress cravings. Results: Acute stress induced significant increases in HR and QTc intervals (p < 0.01), confirming a robust physiological stress response. The ANOVA revealed a strong main effect of food type (F(1.93, 435.41) = 168.98, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.43), indicating that stress-induced cravings differed across food categories, with sweet foods rated highest. A significant food type × UE group interaction (F(1.93, 435.41) = 16.49, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.07) showed that adolescents with high UE exhibited greater cravings for sweet and fatty foods than those with low UE. Overall, craving levels did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that acute stress selectively enhances cravings for high-reward foods, and that this effect is modulated by baseline uncontrolled eating tendencies. The combined use of VR-based stress induction and VR supermarket simulation offers an innovative, ecologically valid framework for studying stress-related eating behavior in adolescents, with potential implications for personalized nutrition and the prevention of stress-induced overeating. © 2025 by the authors.},
keywords = {acute stress, Adolescent, Adolescents, adult, article, controlled study, craving, decision making, Eating, eating behavior, ecological validity, electrocardiogram, electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters, Electrocardiography, feeding behavior, female, food craving, food preference, Food Preferences, Heart Rate, human, Humans, hyperphagia, male, mental stress, motivation, normal human, overnutrition, pathophysiology, Perceived Stress Scale, personalized nutrition, physiological stress, physiology, PQ interval, Psychological, psychology, QTc interval, questionnaire, reward, simulation, social stress, Stress, supermarket, Surveys and Questionnaires, three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ), Three-Factor-Eating-Questionnaire, Trier Social Stress Test, virtual reality, virtual supermarket, visual analog scale},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background/Objectives: Acute stress is known to influence food-related motivation and decision-making, often promoting a preference for energy-dense, palatable foods. However, traditional laboratory paradigms have limited ecological validity. This study examined the relationship between stress-induced physiological changes, eating behavior traits, and food cravings using a virtual reality (VR) adaptation of the Trier Social Stress Test (VR-TSST) followed by a VR supermarket task in adolescents. Methods: Thirty-eight adolescents (mean age 15.8 ± 0.6 years) participated in the study. Physiological parameters (HR, QT, PQ intervals) were recorded pre- and post-stress using a portable ECG device (WIWE). Perceived stress and eating behavior traits were evaluated with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R21C), respectively. Immediately after the VR-TSST, participants performed a VR supermarket task in which they rated cravings for sweet, fatty, and healthy foods using visual analog scales (VAS). Paired-samples t-tests examined pre–post changes in physiological parameters, partial correlations explored associations between ECG responses and eating traits, and a 2 × 3 mixed-model Repeated Measures ANOVA assessed the effects of food type (sweet, fatty, healthy) and uncontrolled eating (UE) group (low vs. high) on post-stress cravings. Results: Acute stress induced significant increases in HR and QTc intervals (p < 0.01), confirming a robust physiological stress response. The ANOVA revealed a strong main effect of food type (F(1.93, 435.41) = 168.98, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.43), indicating that stress-induced cravings differed across food categories, with sweet foods rated highest. A significant food type × UE group interaction (F(1.93, 435.41) = 16.49, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.07) showed that adolescents with high UE exhibited greater cravings for sweet and fatty foods than those with low UE. Overall, craving levels did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that acute stress selectively enhances cravings for high-reward foods, and that this effect is modulated by baseline uncontrolled eating tendencies. The combined use of VR-based stress induction and VR supermarket simulation offers an innovative, ecologically valid framework for studying stress-related eating behavior in adolescents, with potential implications for personalized nutrition and the prevention of stress-induced overeating. © 2025 by the authors.