The present study, which is part of an ongoing research project on EI skills (founded by CARIPARO foundation), tested a new face database containing Caucasian face images. In particular, since ceiling effects are prominent in various facial emotion recognition tasks, we developed a database that contained faces expressing emotions at different intensities. Nine young adults posed the emotions of happiness, surprise, disgust, sadness, fear, and anger, plus a neutral expression. Encoders were asked to pose ‘normal’ expressions, plus toned-down, minimized expressions. All expressions were later coded using FACS (Ekman, Friesen, & Hager, 2002). On the basis of the FACS intensity levels, pictures were classified in high (prototypical) and low intensity pictures. 278 adolescents (226 females; M age=17) were presented with 32 pictures. Image order was randomized. For each image, participants judged the depicted expression (the expression rating was forced-choice with eight response categories), the intensity, the clarity, the genuineness, the valence and the attractiveness of the expression. Analyses showed that at both high and low intensity level the participants recognized better some expressions (happiness and disgust) than others (fear and anger), F(6,414)=32,35, p<.001. Moreover the high intensity expressions were more accurately recognized than low intensity pictures except for fear expression, (F(5,660)=19,84, p<.001) that was better recognized at low intensities, t(211)=-3,88, p=.002. This result could be explained by an effect of genuineness F(5,645)=13,88, p < .001: compared with allother expressions, the fear expression was judged more genuine at low intensity than at high intensity, t(211)=3,09, p=.002. The results suggested that this new face database could represent an alternative method to test emotions recognition in that it could offer a subtler way to assess this emotional ability.

High and low intensity facial expressions of emotion and their recognition by adolescents

ZAMMUNER, VANDA;
2011

Abstract

The present study, which is part of an ongoing research project on EI skills (founded by CARIPARO foundation), tested a new face database containing Caucasian face images. In particular, since ceiling effects are prominent in various facial emotion recognition tasks, we developed a database that contained faces expressing emotions at different intensities. Nine young adults posed the emotions of happiness, surprise, disgust, sadness, fear, and anger, plus a neutral expression. Encoders were asked to pose ‘normal’ expressions, plus toned-down, minimized expressions. All expressions were later coded using FACS (Ekman, Friesen, & Hager, 2002). On the basis of the FACS intensity levels, pictures were classified in high (prototypical) and low intensity pictures. 278 adolescents (226 females; M age=17) were presented with 32 pictures. Image order was randomized. For each image, participants judged the depicted expression (the expression rating was forced-choice with eight response categories), the intensity, the clarity, the genuineness, the valence and the attractiveness of the expression. Analyses showed that at both high and low intensity level the participants recognized better some expressions (happiness and disgust) than others (fear and anger), F(6,414)=32,35, p<.001. Moreover the high intensity expressions were more accurately recognized than low intensity pictures except for fear expression, (F(5,660)=19,84, p<.001) that was better recognized at low intensities, t(211)=-3,88, p=.002. This result could be explained by an effect of genuineness F(5,645)=13,88, p < .001: compared with allother expressions, the fear expression was judged more genuine at low intensity than at high intensity, t(211)=3,09, p=.002. The results suggested that this new face database could represent an alternative method to test emotions recognition in that it could offer a subtler way to assess this emotional ability.
2011
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11577/2573410
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