Facial Expression of Emotion

Darwin 1872
• Emotions evolved to aid
in generating appropriate
action in emergency
events
• Facial expression of
emotion communicates
this information to others
Componenti dell’Emozione
Sistema Nervoso Autonomo
Teorie delle emozioni
James’ Peripheral Theory of Emotion
Sometimes called the James-Lange theory of emotion
James-Lange Theory
James-Lange Theory of
Emotion
Evaluating James-Lange
• Some emotional states have characteristic
patterns of physiological changes
Lie Detection
James’ peripheral theory forms the basis
for the lie detection industry
Specific patterns of physiological activity
should accompany the anxiety or guilt
associated with lying
Murderer
• Bell’s palsy & Moebius syndrome
– paralyzed face muscles but no change in emotion
intensity
Cannon’s Central Theory
Also known as the Cannon-Bard Theory
Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
Simultaneously
Cognitive Theories:
Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion
Saul Kassin, Psychology. Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Reprinted by permission.
Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion
Theories of Emotions
1. James-Lange theory
Stimulus
Arousal
Emotion
2. Cannon-Bard theory
Stimulus
Arousal
Emotion
3. Schachter-Singer theory
Stimulus
Arousal
Appraisal
4. Lazarus’ Cognitive Appraisal theories
Stimulus
Appraisal
Arousal
Emotion
Emotion
Criticisms of Appraisal Theories
• Emotion without “cognition”
– fear conditioning without explicit knowledge
– emotion without awareness
Facial expression of emotion
(Communicating Emotion)
Facial expression
• Darwin (1872) catalogued facial expressions
• He emphasized their universal nature
• Connection to distinct emotional states
Facial Expression of Emotion
Facial Expression of Emotion
•Crosscultural
similarity of
expressions.
Papua New
Guinea
“imagine your
child died”
(Ekman &
Friesen 1975)
Emotion in Infancy
•Emission
•Cross-cultural similarity of
expressions and causes
Deaf and blind children’s
expressions are normal
Thus production of expressions
seems innate (Darwin)
•Comprehension
•Universal interpretation of 6
basic emotions (Ekman)
happy, sad, angry, fear,
surprise, disgust,
Basic Emotions
Facial Displays
ANGER
FEAR
DISGUST
SURPRISE
JOY
SADNESS
Back
Facial Expression of Emotion
•Emission
Cultural differences in frequency of
expression
• Japanese less negative expressions in
society (Matsumoto et al 1988)
Expressing Emotion
• Culturally universal expressions
Social and Cultural Influences on
Emotional Expression
• Cultural variations in recognizing some
emotions.
• Expression of emotion affected by cultural
rules.
• Smiles can vary as people learn to use them
to communicate certain feelings.
Duchenne (stimulating zygomatic muscles)
Social versus Real Smiles
Paul Ekman
Fake
Fake Smile
Real ‘Duchenne’
smile
Expressing Emotion
Smiles can show
different
emotions:
A) Mask anger
B) Overly polite
C) Soften criticism
D) Reluctant
compliance