Cognitive Science Research Initiative by IIIT-Hyderabad Examines Objectification of Women
Cognitive Science Research Initiative's Impactful Findings
Hyderabad: The cognitive science research initiative findings from IIIT-Hyderabad reveal that regardless of whether women wear revealing dresses or non-sexualized attire, they will attract the male gaze and be sexually objectified. This novel study on visual gaze by IIIT-H researchers has significant implications.
Study Overview
The study, funded by the Department of Science and Technology’s (DST) Cognitive Science Research Initiative, was presented at the Cognitive Science Society (CSS) conference 2024 in Rotterdam in July. It shows how women experience objectification even in non-sexualized attire.
- The paper is titled “Objectifying Gaze: An Empirical Study With Non-Sexualized Images”.
- Conducted by Ayushi Agrawal, Srija Bhupathiraju under the guidance of Prof. Kavita Vemuri from the Cognitive Science Lab
- Utilized eye-tracking technology rooted in cognitive science theories.
Key Findings
The findings indicate that gaze objectification extends to women regardless of attire. “Regardless of attire, a woman is subjected to a very intrusive gaze in a public or any other space,” explains Prof. Kavita Vemuri.
A notable distinction observed between the Western and Indian contexts shows a difference in gaze focus. In Western studies, the gaze often centers more on sexual body parts than on the face, whereas in IIIT-H’s study, both the face and sexual body parts attracted attention. As Kavita Vemuri puts it, “The Indian population still places a lot of importance on facial features.”
Broader Implications
Interestingly, both male and female participants demonstrated visually objectifying women. This raises questions about social dynamics and self-perception as expressed by Ayushi, who states, “When a female objectifies another female, it may indicate self-objectification or social evaluation.” Overall, the study indicates that both genders are implicated in processes of objectification.
This article was prepared using information from open sources in accordance with the principles of Ethical Policy. The editorial team is not responsible for absolute accuracy, as it relies on data from the sources referenced.