A developmental perspective on emotions in play therapy.

Describes and compares normative emotional responses in solitary play, and determines developmental changes associated with expression of emotion in play. A developmental perspective on emotions is described. The results from 3 studies that examined the expression of emotion (facial expressions) during infants' and children's (aged 6 mo–5 yrs) solitary play are discussed as a foundation from which to consider the functions of emotion in play therapy. Facial expressions of emotions were assessed using the System for Identifying Affect Expressions by Holistic Judgments (C. E. Izard et al, 1983). Exploration and play were measured using a standardized scale developed by J. Belsy and R. K. Most (1981). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of facial response in the experience of emotion.

Facial expression and emotional stimuli were varied orthogonally in a 3?×?4 factorial design to test whether facial expression is necessary or sufficient to influence emotional experience. 123 undergraduates watched a film eliciting fear, sadness, or no emotion while holding their facial muscles in the position characteristic of fear or sadness or in an effortful but nonemotional grimace; those in a 4th group received no facial instructions. The Ss believed that the study concerned subliminal perception and that the facial positions were necessary to prevent physiological recording artifacts. The films had powerful effects on reported emotions, the facial expressions none. Correlations between facial expression and reported emotion were zero. Sad and fearful Ss showed distinctive patterns of physiological arousal. Facial expression also tended to affect physiological responses in a manner consistent with an effort hypothesis. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Voluntary expressive changes and emotion.

Examined the influence of changes in facial expression on physiological and self-report measures of emotion. In Exp I, 27 undergraduates portrayed facial expressions associated with being afraid, calm, and normal. Portraying fear produced increases in pulse rate and skin conductance relative to portraying either calm or normal, but posing had no effect on subjective reports of anxiety (Affect Adjective Check List). In Exp II, 38 Ss listened to loud or soft noise while changing their expressions to portray fear, happiness, or calmness. Portraying either fear or happiness produced greater arousal than remaining calm. Changes in facial expression failed to affect self-reports of noise loudness. Results suggest that changes in facial expression influence physiological responses through the movement involved in posing and may not influence self-reports of emotion at all. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Communication of individual emotions by spontaneous facial expressions.

Examined whether spontaneous facial expressions provide observers with sufficient information to distinguish accurately which of 7 affective states (6 emotional and 1 neutral) is being experienced by another person. Six undergraduate senders' facial expressions were covertly videotaped as they watched emotionally loaded slides. After each slide, senders nominated the emotions term that best described their affective reaction and also rated the pleasantness and strength of that reaction. Similar nominations of emotion terms and ratings were later made by 53 undergraduate receivers who viewed the senders' videotaped facial expression. The central measure of communication accuracy was the match between senders' and receivers' emotion nominations. Overall accuracy was significantly greater than chance, although it was not impressive in absolute terms. Only happy, angry, and disgusted expressions were recognized at above-chance rates, whereas surprised expressions were recognized at rates that were significantly worse than chance. Female Ss were significantly better senders than were male Ss. Although neither sex was found to be better at receiving facial expressions, female Ss were better receivers of female senders' expressions than of male senders' expressions. Female senders' neutral and surprised expressions were more accurately recognized than were those of male senders. The only sex difference found for decoding emotions was a tendency for male Ss to be more accurate at recognizing anger. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal emotional signaling: Its effect on the visual cliff behavior of 1-year-olds.

Studied the effect of maternal facial expressions of emotion on 108 12-mo-old infants in 4 studies. The deep side of a visual cliff was adjusted to a height that produced no clear avoidance and much referencing of the mother. In Study 1, 19 Ss viewed a facial expression of joy, while 17 Ss viewed one of fear. In Study 2, 15 Ss viewed interest, while 18 Ss viewed anger. In Study 3, 19 Ss viewed sadness. In Study 4, 23 Ss were used to determine whether the expressions influenced Ss' evaluation of an ambiguous situation or whether they were effective in controlling behavior merely because of their discrepancy or unexpectedness. Results show that Ss used facial expressions to disambiguate situations. If a mother posed joy or interest while S referenced, most Ss crossed the deep side. If a mother posed fear or anger, few Ss crossed. In the absence of any depth whatsoever, few Ss referenced the mother and those who did, while the mother was posing fear, hesitated but crossed nonetheless. It is suggested that facial expressions regulate behavior most clearly in contexts of uncertainty. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The induced affect response: 10-week-old infants' responses to three emotion expressions.

Responses to mothers' presentations of happy, sad, and angry faces were studied in a sample of 12 infants, 6 boys and 6 girls at age 10 weeks?±?5 days. Each infant's mother displayed noncontingent, practiced facial and vocal expressions of the 3 emotions. Each expression occurred 4 times, with a 20-s head-turn-away between presentations. The orders of presentation were randomly assigned within sex of infant. Mothers' and infants' facial behaviors were coded using the Maximally Discriminative Facial Movement Coding System. The data indicated that (a) the infants discriminated each emotion, (b) apparent matching responses may occur under some conditions but not all, and (c) these apparent matching responses were only a part of nonrandom behavior patterns indicating induced emotional or affective responses of infants to mothers' expressions. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patterns of emotion expression during separation in the strange-situation procedure.

The facial expressions of 28 13-mo-old middle-class children were videotaped during the 3-min separation episode of the Ainsworth strange-situation procedure (ASSP). Facial behavior was analyzed to determine the patterns of emotional expressions during separation and to assess the relations between these patterns and types of attachment as assessed by the ASSP. Findings reveal that anger was the dominant negative emotion expressed by the majority of Ss in each of 3 ad hoc groups determined by level of negative emotion. Some high-negative emotion expressers displayed predominantly anger and others mainly sadness. Patterns of emotion expression varied with type of attachment; Ss who showed an insecure-resistant attachment pattern displayed less interest and more sadness than Ss in the securely attached groups. The proportion of time anger was expressed did not differ significantly with type of attachment. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multichannel responses to an interpersonal stressor: Interrelationships among facial display, heart rate, self-report of emotion, and threat appraisal.

60 undergraduates were exposed to a potent, provocative interpersonal stressor while facial displays of emotion were unobtrusively videotaped and heart rate was continuously monitored. Following the stressor situation, Ss completed the Differential Emotions Scale and a questionnaire designed to assess S's appraisal of threat. The video-taped facial expressions were coded by 13 naive judges to assess the intensity of the expression displayed. Minimally expressive Ss reported experiencing more guilt, displayed a significant heart rate increase, and evaluated the situation as more threatening than did the expressive Ss. Results are consistent with aspects of a discharge model of emotion that predict an inverse relationship between overt emotional displays and physiological reactivity in response to an emotional stressor. Findings argue against a facial-feedback hypothesis. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cerebral mechanisms underlying facial, prosodic, and lexical emotional expression: A review of neuropsychological studies and methodological issues.

Cortical contributions to human emotional expression are examined with a focus on interhemispheric (right vs left) and intrahemispheric (anterior vs posterior) mechanisms. This article reviews behavioral studies of emotional expression in brain-damaged patients with unilateral lesions and in normal adults. Studies involving facial, prosodic, and lexical (verbal) communication channels are reviewed for patients; facial asymmetry studies are reviewed for normal Ss. Data are presented separately for posed and spontaneous conditions and for positive and negative emotions. Findings support right-hemisphere dominance for emotional expression, especially for prosodic and lexical expression in brain-damaged patients and for facial expression in normal Ss. Methodological factors are suggested to account for differences among facial expressions studies in brain-damaged patients. The data are discussed in terms of neuropsychological theories of emotion and directions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual differences among adult women in sensitivity to infants: Evidence in support of an empathy concept.

Assessed emotional and physiological responsivity to infant signals in Ss who differed markedly in their level of empathy. 18 high-empathy and 20 low-empathy female undergraduates viewed videotaped scenes of smiling, quiescent, and crying 5-mo-olds as the observers' physiological and facial reactions were monitored. Ss then rated their subjective emotional reactions to the scenes and judged the intensity of the infants' need for care. High-empathy Ss had larger electrodermal responses, tended to respond with matching facial expressions, had more extreme happiness and sadness reactions, and indicated stronger desire to pick up the infants. Additionally, the empathic group showed a trend toward greater cardiac responsiveness to the signals. Results support the hypothesis that high-empathy individuals are more emotionally responsive to infant emotional stimuli and hold different values about caregiving behavior. Applications of the findings to the training of caregivers are considered. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences between depressed and nondepressed individuals in the recognition of and response to facial emotional cues.

Investigated the recognition of, and responses to, facial expressions of emotion. Ss were all women and consisted of the following groups: (1) 16 depressed college students, (2) 16 nondepressed college students, (3) 16 depressed psychiatric patients, and (4) 11 nondepressed psychiatric patients. Results suggest that both depressed groups, relative to the nondepressed college group, made more errors in recognizing the facial expressions and reported more freezing or tensing, higher fear and depression reactions, and less comfort with their own emotional reactions to these expressions and a stronger desire to change these reactions. Few differences were found between the depressed psychiatric patients and the psychiatric control Ss. It is concluded that inappropriate reactions to others' emotions may maintain or increase depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Facial, autonomic, and subjective components of emotion: The facial feedback hypothesis versus the externalizer–internalizer distinction.

Evaluated the facial feedback hypothesis (facial expressions regulate affective experience) and the externalizer–internalizer distinction (expressive behavior and autonomic responses are negatively related) by manipulating facial expressiveness and measuring blood volume, skin conductance, and heart rate, as well as self-reports of emotion, in 108 undergraduates. Ss were subjected to 6 stimuli in the form of videotaped scenes and were filmed reacting with expressions of suppression, spontaneous behavior, or exaggeration. Higher levels of facial expressiveness were accompanied by higher levels of autonomic activity and subjective reports of affective experience. This relationship was obtained in comparisons among experimental conditions as well as correlational analyses within conditions. (50 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do facial expressions signal specific emotions? Judging emotion from the face in context.

Certain facial expressions have been theorized to be easily recognizable signals of specific emotions. If so, these expressions should override situationally based expectations used by a person in attributing an emotion to another. An alternative account is offered in which the face provides information relevant to emotion but does not signal a specific emotion. Therefore, in specified circumstances, situational rather than facial information was predicted to determine the judged emotion. This prediction was supported in 3 studies—indeed, in each of the 22 cases examined (e.g., a person in a frightening situation but displaying a reported "facial expression of anger"" was judged as afraid). Situational information was especially influential when it suggested a nonbasic emotion (e.g., a person in a painful situation but displaying a "facial expression of fear"" was judged as in pain ). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Facial expression and the affective component of cynical hostility in male coronary heart disease patients.

This study describes the affective component of hostility as measured by the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale (Ho W. Cook & D. Medley, 1954) by examining the relationship between facial expressions of emotion and Ho scores in 116 male coronary heart disease patients. Patients underwent the videotaped Type A Structured Interview, from which facial expressions were later coded using the Facial Action Coding System. They also completed the Cook-Medley Ho scale. Facial expression of the emotion of contempt was significantly related to Ho scores; anger expression was not. Also, there was a significant interaction between hostility and defensiveness, wherein low-defensive, highly hostile people showed substantially more contempt expression than others. The implications of these findings for the construct validity of Ho and for identifying clinically important subtypes of hostility are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult judgments and fine-grained analysis of infant facial expressions: Testing the validity of a priori coding formulas.

Three studies tested whether infant facial expressions selected to fit Max formulas (C. E. Izard, 1983) for discrete emotions are recognizable signals of those emotions. Forced-choice emotion judgments (Study 1) and emotion ratings (Study 2) by naive Ss fit Max predictions for slides of infant joy, interest, surprise, and distress, but Max fear, anger, sadness, and disgust expressions in infants were judged as distress or as emotion blends in both studies. Ratings of adult facial expressions (Study 2 only) fit a priori classifications. In Study 3, the facial muscle components of faces shown in Studies 1 and 2 were coded with the Facial Action Coding System (FACS; P. Ekman and W. V. Friesen, 1978) and Baby FACS (H. Oster and D. Rosenstein, in press). Only 3 of 19 Max-specified expressions of discrete negative emotions in infants fit adult prototypes. Results indicate that negative affect expressions are not fully differentiated in infants and that empirical studies of infant facial expressions are needed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Facial expressions of emotion: Does the prototype represent central tendency, frequency of instantiation, or an ideal?

Examines whether typicality of facial expressions (FE) of emotion is predicted best by their values on an ideal dimension (suitability to express a particular emotion), their frequency of instantiation (FI) as an expression of a particular emotion, or their deviation from the central tendency (CT) of the respective FE category. The subjects (Ss) judged FE line drawings of anger, disgust, happiness, sadness, and surprise differing in intensity. In study 1, 82 Ss (mean age 24.4 yrs) divided into four independent groups were tested: the typicality group, the FI group, the ideal group, and the CT group. The Ss in Study 2 (mean age 23.5 yrs) sought to replicate Study 1 with a different operation of typicality: "how good an example" an FE is for the respective emotion category. The results strongly indicate that they are structured like goal-derived categories, where typicality of members varies according to their suitability to obtain a certain goal. This indicates that suitability to express the respective emotion is highly salient in people's representations of categories of FEs of emotion and has become the standard by which typicality is judged. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Judgments of emotional intensity in self and others: The effects of stimulus context, sex, and expressivity.

Examined 48 undergraduates' emotional reactions to evocative visual stimuli and their judgments of the reactions of others to these stimuli. Ss reported the intensity of their own reactions and then judged the category and intensity of the others' photographed facial expressions. Intensity of the stimulus (weak/strong) and of the others' facial expressions (low/high) were factorially combined in a 2?×?2 within-Ss design while the emotion category was held constant. Expressivity was objectively rated during both self and other judgment. Results reveal sex differences in expressive responses to the stimuli: Females were more modulated than males in their expressive behavior. Level of nonverbal expressivity (low/high) was found to be independent of sex. In addition, stimulus intensity systematically affected ratings of the other person. Judgments of intensity were lowest when a strong stimulus preceded a low-intensity facial expression (contrast effect) and highest when a strong stimulus preceded a high-intensity facial expression (assimilation effect). Sex and expressivity interacted to affect judgments of others, underscoring the independence of the 2 factors. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vicarious instigation and conditioning of facial expressive and autonomic responses to a model's expressive display of pain.

In 2 experiments, 35 undergraduates participated in the application of a long-interstimulus-interval differential conditioning paradigm with a confederate's videotaped expression of pain serving as the UCS. Facial EMG signals and skin conductance were recorded. Clear evidence of vicarious autonomic instigation and some evidence of facial excitation were obtained in Exp I, but vicarious autonomic and facial muscle conditioning were obtained only for the 50% of the Ss who were aware of the contingency between the CS+ and the model's pain. In Exp II, steps were taken to increase awareness of the contingency, and significant autonomic and facial muscle instigation and conditioning occurred. Both the vicariously instigated and conditioned autonomic responses involved skin conductance increases, but facial responses to the model's pain were different from conditioned facial responses. Autonomic and facial muscle data suggest that Ss were behaving as though they were anticipating shock when the CS+ was displayed to the model, and as though they were in pain when the model was being shocked. Vicariously aroused emotional reactions thus appear to be similar to those that would be elicited if the S were directly anticipating and receiving shock. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Facial expression and emotion.

Cross-cultural research on facial expression and the developments of methods to measure facial expression are briefly summarized. What has been learned about emotion from this work on the face is then elucidated. Four questions about facial expression and emotion are discussed: What information does an expression typically convey? Can there be emotion without facial expression? Can there be a facial expression of emotion without emotion? How do individuals differ in their facial expressions of emotion? (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in facial expressions of 2- to 19-month-old infants following acute pain.

In Exp I, 4 groups of 9 infants each (mean ages 2.1, 4.2, 8.1, and 19.2 mo) were videotaped as they received a diptheria–pertussis–tetanus inoculation. Their facial movements for the 1st 10 sec following needle penetration were coded and analyzed. There was no relationship between expressions of affect and sex or social class. Pain produced (a) a distinct distress expression, whose prominence as immediate response to pain decreased with age, and (b) the anger expression, whose prominence as immediate response increased with age. In Exp II, the indices of facial affect signals derived from the entire period from needle penetration to soothing were analyzed for 18 Ss from Exp I. There were no effects of sex on soothing time or total time each affect was expressed. Ss above and below the median on the ability to be soothed differed significantly in soothing time and in duration and pattern of affect expressions. In particular, slow soothers showed a proportionately greater duration of anger expression than fast soothers. The distress and anger expressions changed with age. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)