Role of Biological-Motion Information in Recognition of Facial Expressions by Young Children

What mechanisms underlie facial expression recognition? A popular hypothesis holds that efficient facial expression recognition cannot be achieved by visual analysis alone but additionally requires a mechanism of motor simulation — an unconscious, covert imitation of the observed facial postures and movements. Here, we first discuss why this hypothesis does not necessarily follow from extant empirical evidence. Next, we report experimental evidence against the central premise of this view: we demonstrate that individuals can achieve normotypical efficient facial expression recognition despite a congenital absence of relevant facial motor representations and, therefore, unaided by motor simulation. This underscores the need to reconsider the role of motor simulation in facial expression recognition.

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Your face and moves seem happier when I smile. Facial action influences the perception of emotional faces and biological motion stimuli

10.31234/osf.io/4uvdq ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Fernando Marmolejo-Ramos ◽

Aiko Murata ◽

Kyoshiro Sasaki ◽

Yuki Yamada ◽

Ayumi Ikeda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Facial Expressions ◽

Biological Motion ◽

Muscular Activity ◽

Emotional Faces ◽

Bodily Expression ◽

Recognition Of Facial Expressions ◽

Facial Stimuli ◽

Within Subjects ◽

Face Stimuli ◽

Point Light

In this research, we replicated the effect of muscle engagement on perception such that the recognition of another’s facial expressions was biased by the observer’s facial muscular activity (Blaesi & Wilson, 2010). We extended this replication to show that such a modulatory effect is also observed for the recognition of dynamic bodily expressions. Via a multi-lab and within-subjects approach, we investigated the emotion recognition of point-light biological walkers, along with that of morphed face stimuli, while subjects were or were not holding a pen in their teeth. Under the ‘pen-in-the-teeth’ condition, participants tended to lower their threshold of perception of ‘happy’ expressions in facial stimuli compared to the ‘no-pen’ condition; thus replicating the experiment by Blaesi and Wilson (2010). A similar effect was found for the biological motion stimuli such that participants lowered their threshold to perceive ‘happy’ walkers in the ‘pen-in-the-teeth’ compared to the ‘no-pen’ condition. This pattern of results was also found in a second experiment in which the ‘no-pen’ condition was replaced by a situation in which participants held a pen in their lips (‘pen-in-lips’ condition). These results suggested that facial muscular activity not only alters the recognition of facial expressions but also bodily expression.

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Facial and Bodily Emotion Recognition in Multiple Sclerosis: The Role of Alexithymia and Other Characteristics of the Disease

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617714000939 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 20 (10) ◽

pp. 1004-1014 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Cinzia Cecchetto ◽

Marilena Aiello ◽

Delia D’Amico ◽

Daniela Cutuli ◽

Daniela Cargnelutti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Emotion Recognition ◽

Facial Expressions ◽

Facial Emotion Recognition ◽

Facial Emotion ◽

Cognitive Tasks ◽

Facial Emotions ◽

Recognition Of Facial Expressions

AbstractMultiple sclerosis (MS) may be associated with impaired perception of facial emotions. However, emotion recognition mediated by bodily postures has never been examined in these patients. Moreover, several studies have suggested a relation between emotion recognition impairments and alexithymia. This is in line with the idea that the ability to recognize emotions requires the individuals to be able to understand their own emotions. Despite a deficit in emotion recognition has been observed in MS patients, the association between impaired emotion recognition and alexithymia has received little attention. The aim of this study was, first, to investigate MS patient’s abilities to recognize emotions mediated by both facial and bodily expressions and, second, to examine whether any observed deficits in emotions recognition could be explained by the presence of alexithymia. Thirty patients with MS and 30 healthy matched controls performed experimental tasks assessing emotion discrimination and recognition of facial expressions and bodily postures. Moreover, they completed questionnaires evaluating alexithymia, depression, and fatigue. First, facial emotion recognition and, to a lesser extent, bodily emotion recognition can be impaired in MS patients. In particular, patients with higher disability showed an impairment in emotion recognition compared with patients with lower disability and controls. Second, their deficit in emotion recognition was not predicted by alexithymia. Instead, the disease’s characteristics and the performance on some cognitive tasks significantly correlated with emotion recognition. Impaired facial emotion recognition is a cognitive signature of MS that is not dependent on alexithymia. (JINS, 2014, 19, 1–11)

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Impaired emotion recognition is linked to alexithymia in heroin addicts

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.1864 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. e1864 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Giuseppe Craparo ◽

Alessio Gori ◽

Stefano Dell’Aera ◽

Giulia Costanzo ◽

Silvia Fasciano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Facial Expressions ◽

Multivariate Regression ◽

Reaction Times ◽

Multivariate Regression Analysis ◽

Emotion Detection ◽

Heroin Addicts ◽

Recognition Of Facial Expressions ◽

Lower Accuracy ◽

Affective Deficits

Several investigations document altered emotion processing in opiate addiction. Nevertheless, the origin of this phenomenon remains unclear. Here we examined the role of alexithymia in the ability (i.e., number of errors—accuracyand reaction times—RTs) of thirty-one heroin addicts and thirty-one healthy controls to detect several affective expressions. Results show generally lower accuracy and higher RTs in the recognition of facial expressions of emotions for patients, compared to controls. The hierarchical multivariate regression analysis shows that alexithymia might be responsible of the between groups difference with respect to the RTs in emotion detection. Overall, we provide new insights in the clinical interpretation of affective deficits in heroin addicts suggesting a role of alexithymia in their ability to recognize emotions.

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How the facial components influence the recognition of facial expressions in young children?

The Proceedings of the Annual Convention of the Japanese Psychological Association ◽

10.4992/pacjpa.81.0_3a-071 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 81 (0) ◽

pp. 3A-071-3A-071

Author(s):

Megumi Masuda ◽

Michio Nomura

Keyword(s):

Young Children ◽

Facial Expressions ◽

Recognition Of Facial Expressions

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The role of spatial frequency information in the recognition of facial expressions of pain

Pain ◽

10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000226 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 156 (9) ◽

pp. 1670-1682 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Shan Wang ◽

Christopher Eccleston ◽

Edmund Keogh

Keyword(s):

Spatial Frequency ◽

Facial Expressions ◽

Frequency Information ◽

Recognition Of Facial Expressions

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Recognition of facial expressions of emotions in schizophrenia

Polish Psychological Bulletin ◽

10.2478/ppb-2013-0026 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 44 (2) ◽

pp. 232-238

Author(s):

Władysław Łosiak ◽

Joanna Siedlecka

Keyword(s):

Social Functioning ◽

Facial Expressions ◽

Negative Emotions ◽

Affective Reactions ◽

Recognition Of Facial Expressions ◽

Facial Expressions Of Emotion ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

And Gender

Abstract Deficits in recognition of facial expressions of emotions are considered to be an important factor explaining impairments in social functioning and affective reactions of schizophrenic patients. Many studies confirmed such deficits while controversies remained concerning the emotion valence and modality. The aim of the study was to explore the process of recognizing facial expressions of emotion in the group of schizophrenic patients by analyzing the role of emotion valence, modality and gender of the model. Results of the group of 35 patients and 35 matched controls indicate that while schizophrenic patients show general impairment in recognizing facial expressions of both positive and the majority of negative emotions, there are differences in deficits for particular emotions. Expressions also appeared to be more ambiguous for the patients while variables connected with gender were found less significant.

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Wiser Reasoning and Less Disgust Have the Potential to Better Achieve Suicide Prevention

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000709 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Chao S. Hu ◽

Jiajia Ji ◽

Jinhao Huang ◽

Zhe Feng ◽

Dong Xie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Suicide Prevention ◽

Cause Of Death ◽

Facial Expressions ◽

Emotional Reaction ◽

Suicide Method ◽

University Teachers ◽

Advice Giving ◽

Prevention Techniques

Abstract. Background: High school and university teachers need to advise students against attempting suicide, the second leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds. Aims: To investigate the role of reasoning and emotion in advising against suicide. Method: We conducted a study with 130 students at a university that specializes in teachers' education. Participants sat in front of a camera, videotaping their advising against suicide. Three raters scored their transcribed advice on "wise reasoning" (i.e., expert forms of reasoning: considering a variety of conditions, awareness of the limitation of one's knowledge, taking others' perspectives). Four registered psychologists experienced in suicide prevention techniques rated the transcripts on the potential for suicide prevention. Finally, using the software Facereader 7.1, we analyzed participants' micro-facial expressions during advice-giving. Results: Wiser reasoning and less disgust predicted higher potential for suicide prevention. Moreover, higher potential for suicide prevention was associated with more surprise. Limitations: The actual efficacy of suicide prevention was not assessed. Conclusion: Wise reasoning and counter-stereotypic ideas that trigger surprise probably contribute to the potential for suicide prevention. This advising paradigm may help train teachers in advising students against suicide, measuring wise reasoning, and monitoring a harmful emotional reaction, that is, disgust.

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