Face masks bolsters the characteristics from looking at a face even when facial expressions are impaired

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wee Kiat Lau
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Emotional Expressions ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The Face ◽  
Full Face ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
The Impact

Face masks impact social interactions negatively because emotion recognition is difficult due to the occlusion by the masks. But is this enough to associate face masks to negative social interactions? We investigated the impact of face masks on invariant characteristics, trait-like characteristics, and emotional expressions for faces with and without face masks. Participants completed an online survey and rated masked and no-masked faces. Participants never saw the same face with and without masks. According to the results, when compared to no-masked faces, emotional expressions for masked faces were rated poorer. However, ratings for other characteristics were rated better for masked faces. This suggested that, while some aspects such as emotional expressions, were negatively impeded by face masks, other aspects were not affected the same way. Post-hoc modelling for trait-like characteristics also revealed that for some characteristics, the non-occluded region of the face helped us understand certain information about a person. Likewise, for other characteristics, the full face helped us gather certain information about the person. Collectively, the results, together with the literature, hinted at greater acceptance of face masks. There were better ratings for certain characteristics with face masks, despite worser ratings for emotion expressions. Therefore, face masks did not necessarily impact social interactions negatively. Future directions were proposed to expand the research.

scholarly journals Face Masks Bolsters the Characteristics From Looking at a Face Even When Facial Expressions Are Impaired

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wee Kiat Lau
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Emotional Expressions ◽  
Happy Face ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Trait Ratings

Face masks impact social interactions because emotion recognition is difficult due to face occlusion. However, is this enough to conclude that face masks negatively impact social interactions? We investigated the impact of face masks on invariant characteristics (sex, age), trait-like characteristics (trustworthiness, attractiveness, and approachability), and emotional expressions (happiness and excitability). Participants completed an online survey and rated masked and no-masked faces. The same face remained masked or no-masked throughout the survey. Results revealed that, when compared to no-masked faces, masked happy faces appeared less happy. Face masks did not negatively impact the ratings of other characteristics. Participants were better at judging the sex of masked faces. Masked faces also appeared younger, more trustworthy, more attractive, and more approachable. Therefore, face masks did not always result in unfavorable ratings. An additional post hoc modeling revealed that trustworthiness and attractiveness ratings for masked faces predicted the same trait ratings for no-masked faces. However, approachability ratings for no-masked faces predicted the same trait ratings for masked faces. This hinted that information from masked/no-masked faces, such as from the eye and eye region, could aid in the understanding of others during social interaction. Future directions were proposed to expand the research.

scholarly journals The Influence of Key Facial Features on Recognition of Emotion in Cartoon Faces

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu Zhang ◽  
Xinge Liu ◽  
Xuan Yang ◽  
Yezhi Shu ◽  
Niqi Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Emotional Expressions ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Individual Feature ◽  
Human Computer Interactions ◽  
Emotional Information ◽  
Face Images ◽  
Full Face

Cartoon faces are widely used in social media, animation production, and social robots because of their attractive ability to convey different emotional information. Despite their popular applications, the mechanisms of recognizing emotional expressions in cartoon faces are still unclear. Therefore, three experiments were conducted in this study to systematically explore a recognition process for emotional cartoon expressions (happy, sad, and neutral) and to examine the influence of key facial features (mouth, eyes, and eyebrows) on emotion recognition. Across the experiments, three presentation conditions were employed: (1) a full face; (2) individual feature only (with two other features concealed); and (3) one feature concealed with two other features presented. The cartoon face images used in this study were converted from a set of real faces acted by Chinese posers, and the observers were Chinese. The results show that happy cartoon expressions were recognized more accurately than neutral and sad expressions, which was consistent with the happiness recognition advantage revealed in real face studies. Compared with real facial expressions, sad cartoon expressions were perceived as sadder, and happy cartoon expressions were perceived as less happy, regardless of whether full-face or single facial features were viewed. For cartoon faces, the mouth was demonstrated to be a feature that is sufficient and necessary for the recognition of happiness, and the eyebrows were sufficient and necessary for the recognition of sadness. This study helps to clarify the perception mechanism underlying emotion recognition in cartoon faces and sheds some light on directions for future research on intelligent human-computer interactions.

scholarly journals The impact of facemasks on emotion recognition, trust attribution and re-identification

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Marini ◽  
Alessandro Ansani ◽  
Fabio Paglieri ◽  
Fausto Caruana ◽  
Marco Viola
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Emotional Expressions ◽  
Mouth Region ◽  
Visual Access ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
Face Reading ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Identity Processing

AbstractCovid-19 pandemics has fostered a pervasive use of facemasks all around the world. While they help in preventing infection, there are concerns related to the possible impact of facemasks on social communication. The present study investigates how emotion recognition, trust attribution and re-identification of faces differ when faces are seen without mask, with a standard medical facemask, and with a transparent facemask restoring visual access to the mouth region. Our results show that, in contrast to standard medical facemasks, transparent masks significantly spare the capability to recognize emotional expressions. Moreover, transparent masks spare the capability to infer trustworthiness from faces with respect to standard medical facemasks which, in turn, dampen the perceived untrustworthiness of faces. Remarkably, while transparent masks (unlike standard masks) do not impair emotion recognition and trust attribution, they seemingly do impair the subsequent re-identification of the same, unmasked, face (like standard masks). Taken together, this evidence supports a dissociation between mechanisms sustaining emotion and identity processing. This study represents a pivotal step in the much-needed analysis of face reading when the lower portion of the face is occluded by a facemask.

scholarly journals I see how you feel: facial expressions’ recognition and distancing in the time of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calbi Marta ◽  
Langiulli Nunzio ◽  
Ferroni Francesca ◽  
Montalti Martina ◽  
Kolesnikov Anna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Italian Population ◽  
Lower Face ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Anxiety And Fear

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the nature of our social interactions. In order to understand how protective equipment and distancing measures influence the ability to comprehend others’ emotions and, thus, to effectively interact with others, we carried out an online survey across the Italian population during the first pandemic peak. Participants were shown static facial expressions (Angry, Happy and Neutral) covered by a sanitary mask or by a scarf. They were asked to evaluate the expressed emotions as well as to assess the degree to which one would adopt physical and social distancing measures for each stimulus. Results demonstrate that, despite the covering of the lower-face, participants correctly recognized the facial expressions of emotions with a polarizing effect on emotional valence ratings found in females. Noticeably, while females’ ratings for physical and social distancing were driven by the emotional content of the stimuli, males were influenced by the “covered” condition. The results also show the impact of the pandemic on anxiety and fear experienced by participants. Taken together, our results offer novel insights on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social interactions, providing a deeper understanding of the way people react to different kinds of protective face covering.

scholarly journals Effects of posed smiling on memory for happy and sad facial expressions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Kuehne ◽  
Tino Zaehle ◽  
Janek S. Lobmaier
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Emotional Expressions ◽  
Dominant Hand ◽  
Facial Feedback ◽  
Positivity Bias ◽  
Facial Information ◽  
The Impact ◽  
And Storage

AbstractThe perception and storage of facial emotional expressions constitutes an important human skill that is essential for our daily social interactions. While previous research revealed that facial feedback can influence the perception of facial emotional expressions, it is unclear whether facial feedback also plays a role in memory processes of facial emotional expressions. In the present study we investigated the impact of facial feedback on the performance in emotional visual working memory (WM). For this purpose, 37 participants underwent a classical facial feedback manipulation (FFM) (holding a pen with the teeth—inducing a smiling expression vs. holding a pen with the non-dominant hand—as a control condition) while they performed a WM task on varying intensities of happy or sad facial expressions. Results show that the smiling manipulation improved memory performance selectively for happy faces, especially for highly ambiguous facial expressions. Furthermore, we found that in addition to an overall negative bias specifically for happy faces (i.e. happy faces are remembered as more negative than they initially were), FFM induced a positivity bias when memorizing emotional facial information (i.e. faces were remembered as being more positive than they actually were). Finally, our data demonstrate that men were affected more by FFM: during induced smiling men showed a larger positive bias than women did. These data demonstrate that facial feedback not only influences our perception but also systematically alters our memory of facial emotional expressions.

scholarly journals Are public health measures and individualised care compatible in the face of a pandemic? A national observational study of bereaved relatives’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 026921632110198
Author(s):  
Catriona R Mayland ◽  
Rosemary Hughes ◽  
Steven Lane ◽  
Tamsin McGlinchey ◽  
Warren Donnellan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Professional Networks ◽  
Dying Patients ◽  
The Face ◽  
Individualised Care ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Informative Communication

Background: COVID-19 public health restrictions have affected end-of-life care experiences for dying patients and their families. Aim: To explore bereaved relatives’ experiences of quality of care and family support provided during the last days of life; to identify the impact of factors associated with perceived support. Design: A national, observational, open online survey was developed and disseminated via social media, public fora and professional networks (June–September 2020). Validated instruments and purposively designed questions assessed experiences. Analysis used descriptive statistics, logistic regression and thematic analysis of free-text responses. Participants: Individuals (⩾18 years) who had experienced the death of a relative/friend (all care settings) within the United Kingdome during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Respondents ( n = 278, mean 53.4 years) tended to be female ( n = 216, 78%); over half were ‘son/daughter’ (174, 62.6%) to the deceased. Deceased individuals (mean 81.6 years) most frequently died in their ‘usual place of care’ ( n = 192, 69.3%). Analysis established five conceptual themes affecting individualised care: (1) public health restrictions compounding the distress of ‘not knowing’; (2) disparate views about support from doctors and nurses; (3) challenges in communication and level of preparedness for the death; (4) delivery of compassionate care; (5) emotional needs and potential impact on grief. Male respondents (OR 2.9, p = 0.03) and those able to visit (OR 2.2, p = 0.04) were independently associated with good perceptions of family support. Conclusion: Despite public health restrictions, individualised care can be enabled by proactive, informative communication; recognising dying in a timely manner and facilitating the ability to be present before death.

Emotion Recognition of Facial Expressions Presented in Profile

2021 ◽  
pp. 003329412110184
Author(s):  
Paola Surcinelli ◽  
Federica Andrei ◽  
Ornella Montebarocci ◽  
Silvana Grandi
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Recognition Accuracy ◽  
Recognition Of Facial Expressions ◽  
Profile View ◽  
The Face ◽  
Within Subjects ◽  
Face Stimuli ◽  
Affective Information

Aim of the research The literature on emotion recognition from facial expressions shows significant differences in recognition ability depending on the proposed stimulus. Indeed, affective information is not distributed uniformly in the face and recent studies showed the importance of the mouth and the eye regions for a correct recognition. However, previous studies used mainly facial expressions presented frontally and studies which used facial expressions in profile view used a between-subjects design or children faces as stimuli. The present research aims to investigate differences in emotion recognition between faces presented in frontal and in profile views by using a within subjects experimental design. Method The sample comprised 132 Italian university students (88 female, Mage = 24.27 years, SD = 5.89). Face stimuli displayed both frontally and in profile were selected from the KDEF set. Two emotion-specific recognition accuracy scores, viz., frontal and in profile, were computed from the average of correct responses for each emotional expression. In addition, viewing times and response times (RT) were registered. Results Frontally presented facial expressions of fear, anger, and sadness were significantly better recognized than facial expressions of the same emotions in profile while no differences were found in the recognition of the other emotions. Longer viewing times were also found when faces expressing fear and anger were presented in profile. In the present study, an impairment in recognition accuracy was observed only for those emotions which rely mostly on the eye regions.

scholarly journals Recognition of Emotion from Facial Expressions with Direct or Averted Eye Gaze and Varying Expression Intensities in Children with Autism Disorder and Typically Developing Children

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina Tell ◽  
Denise Davidson ◽  
Linda A. Camras
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Emotional Expressions ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Expression Intensity ◽  
Autism Disorder

Eye gaze direction and expression intensity effects on emotion recognition in children with autism disorder and typically developing children were investigated. Children with autism disorder and typically developing children identified happy and angry expressions equally well. Children with autism disorder, however, were less accurate in identifying fear expressions across intensities and eye gaze directions. Children with autism disorder rated expressions with direct eyes, and 50% expressions, as more intense than typically developing children. A trend was also found for sad expressions, as children with autism disorder were less accurate in recognizing sadness at 100% intensity with direct eyes than typically developing children. Although the present research showed that children with autism disorder are sensitive to eye gaze direction, impairments in the recognition of fear, and possibly sadness, exist. Furthermore, children with autism disorder and typically developing children perceive the intensity of emotional expressions differently.

scholarly journals The spatial distribution of eye movements predicts the (false) recognition of emotional facial expressions

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0245777
Author(s):  
Fanny Poncet ◽  
Robert Soussignan ◽  
Margaux Jaffiol ◽  
Baptiste Gaudelus ◽  
Arnaud Leleu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Eye Movements ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
False Recognition ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Visual Exploration ◽  
Emotional Expressions ◽  
Facial Emotions ◽  
The Face

Recognizing facial expressions of emotions is a fundamental ability for adaptation to the social environment. To date, it remains unclear whether the spatial distribution of eye movements predicts accurate recognition or, on the contrary, confusion in the recognition of facial emotions. In the present study, we asked participants to recognize facial emotions while monitoring their gaze behavior using eye-tracking technology. In Experiment 1a, 40 participants (20 women) performed a classic facial emotion recognition task with a 5-choice procedure (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness). In Experiment 1b, a second group of 40 participants (20 women) was exposed to the same materials and procedure except that they were instructed to say whether (i.e., Yes/No response) the face expressed a specific emotion (e.g., anger), with the five emotion categories tested in distinct blocks. In Experiment 2, two groups of 32 participants performed the same task as in Experiment 1a while exposed to partial facial expressions composed of actions units (AUs) present or absent in some parts of the face (top, middle, or bottom). The coding of the AUs produced by the models showed complex facial configurations for most emotional expressions, with several AUs in common. Eye-tracking data indicated that relevant facial actions were actively gazed at by the decoders during both accurate recognition and errors. False recognition was mainly associated with the additional visual exploration of less relevant facial actions in regions containing ambiguous AUs or AUs relevant to other emotional expressions. Finally, the recognition of facial emotions from partial expressions showed that no single facial actions were necessary to effectively communicate an emotional state. In contrast, the recognition of facial emotions relied on the integration of a complex set of facial cues.

scholarly journals Recognition Characteristics of Facial and Bodily Expressions: Evidence From ERPs

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxiao Li
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Emotional Expressions ◽  
Emotional Information ◽  
Prolonged Latency ◽  
Electrophysiological Mechanism

In the natural environment, facial and bodily expressions influence each other. Previous research has shown that bodily expressions significantly influence the perception of facial expressions. However, little is known about the cognitive processing of facial and bodily emotional expressions and its temporal characteristics. Therefore, this study presented facial and bodily expressions, both separately and together, to examine the electrophysiological mechanism of emotional recognition using event-related potential (ERP). Participants assessed the emotions of facial and bodily expressions that varied by valence (positive/negative) and consistency (matching/non-matching emotions). The results showed that bodily expressions induced a more positive P1 component and a shortened latency, whereas facial expressions triggered a more negative N170 and prolonged latency. Among N2 and P3, N2 was more sensitive to inconsistent emotional information and P3 was more sensitive to consistent emotional information. The cognitive processing of facial and bodily expressions had distinctive integrating features, with the interaction occurring in the early stage (N170). The results of the study highlight the importance of facial and bodily expressions in the cognitive processing of emotion recognition.

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