Fig. 2

Stimulus material of the direct decision task and the VAAST. (A) Exemplary faces of person 140 and 066 from the FACES database (Ebner et al., 2010), with a 100% neutral expression (first row), 30% happy expression (second row), and 30% angry expression (third row). The subtle differences in facial expression were intended to create a more realistic variation in the displayed faces of the direct decision task. Each person was only shown once, either with a mask or unmasked. All participants viewed the same faces in Experiment 1 and 2. It is permitted to show the photos of person 140 and 066 from the FACES database (Ebner et al., 2010) for the purpose of illustrating research methodology. The direct decision task used other persons from the FACES database, who cannot be publicly shown. (B) Exemplary VAAST trial, which required an approach movement into the virtual corridor towards the masked face at the opposite wall. The approach was simulated by zooming in by 10% after each button press. The avoidance movement (not shown) was represented by zooming out by 10% from the start screen, thus simulating physical distancing from the face at the opposite wall. All faces shown in the VAAST had a neutral expression