Facial Feedback Affects Perceived Intensity but Not Quality of Emotional Expressions

Lobmaier, Janek; Fischer, Martin (2015). Facial Feedback Affects Perceived Intensity but Not Quality of Emotional Expressions. Brain Sciences, 5(3), pp. 357-368. MDPI 10.3390/brainsci5030357

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Motivated by conflicting evidence in the literature, we re-assessed the role of facial feedback when detecting quantitative or qualitative changes in others’ emotional expressions. Fifty-three healthy adults observed self-paced morph sequences where the emotional facial expression either changed quantitatively (i.e., sad-to-neutral, neutral-to-sad, happy-to-neutral, neutral-to-happy) or qualitatively (i.e. from sad to happy, or from happy to sad). Observers held a pen in their own mouth to induce smiling or frowning during the detection task. When morph sequences started or ended with neutral expressions we replicated a congruency effect: Happiness was perceived longer and sooner while smiling; sadness was perceived longer and sooner while frowning. Interestingly, no such congruency effects occurred for transitions between emotional expressions. These results suggest that facial feedback is especially useful when evaluating the intensity of a facial expression, but less so when we have to recognize which emotion our counterpart is expressing.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Psychology
07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Psychology > Cognitive Psychology, Perception and Methodology
07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Psychology > Cognitive Psychology, Perception and Methodology > Biologische Psychologie (SNF) [discontinued]

UniBE Contributor:

Lobmaier, Janek Simon

ISSN:

2076-3425

Publisher:

MDPI

Funders:

[4] Swiss National Science Foundation

Language:

English

Submitter:

Janek Simon Lobmaier

Date Deposited:

28 Aug 2015 10:03

Last Modified:

02 Mar 2023 23:26

Publisher DOI:

10.3390/brainsci5030357

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.71355

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/71355

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