Social Psychology Lecture 5

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Social Psychology Lecture 5

• Nonverbal Communication of Emotion
• Facial Expressions of Emotion
• Jane Clarbour
• (2003)
• Room PS/BOO7 Email jc129

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Objectives

• Give an account of Darwins theory of the facial
  expressions of emotion.
• Describe cross-cultural studies of the
  recognition of facial expressions of emotion.
• Demonstrate an understanding of Ekmans
  neuro-cultural model.
• Give an account of neuropsychological evidence
  relevant to Ekmans model.
• Evaluate criticisms of the neuro-cultural model.

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Facial expressions

• Assumptions
• Certain facial expressions of emotion are innate
• If emotions are expressed similarly regardless of
  culture or situation it suggests that facial
  expressions are important guides to emotion
• Alternatively
• Facial expression is contextual social indicator
  of behavioral intent

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Theoretical conflict

• Universalist
• Same facial movement is associated with same
  emotion universally (innate)
• Relativist
• Facial expressions are learned within each culture

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Slide 1 What emotion is this?
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Slide 2
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The innate hypothesis

• DARWIN (1872) proposed that the facial expression
  of emotion evolved as part of the actions
  necessary for life
• Anger
• Frowning
• to protect eyes in anticipation of attack

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Surprise

• Eyebrows raised
• to open the eyes wide to facilitate sight
• Mouth opens
• to draw in air quickly to put the body in a state
  of readiness

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Fear

• Movements similar to surprise but more tense
• Raised eyebrows
• Open mouth
• Fear was more problematic for Darwin.
• Conflict between readiness protection

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Disgust

• Lip movements are related to expelling offensive
  matter from the mouth.
• By-products lip movement include
• Nose wrinkling movements
• Lines below lower eyelid and raising lower eyelid
  
• Cheek raising

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Happiness sadness

• Happiness
• Smiling - raised corners of the mouth
• Sadness
• Upturned inner corners of the eyebrows

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Ekman and Friesen (1976) faces
Happiness
Fear
Disgust
Surprise
Sadness
Anger
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Neurocultural model (Ekman, 1972)

• Ekman suggests both innate and social learning
  views are correct
• Facial affect programme
• Firing of facial muscles (neurologically
  controlled)
• Direct (without need for cognition Modular)
• Separate programmes for fight or flight
• Partly innate/universal
• Influenced by cultural norms
• Learned (vary by culture)

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Interactions

• Display rules mediate neural impulses
• Display rules prevent activation of facial affect
  program
• Display rules prevent triggering of facial
  muscles
• Reduce the output of the display
• Make the display shorter/substitute alternative
  display

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Display Rules

• Learned habits about controlling the appearance
  of the face (Ekman, 1972)
• Cultural research suggests 6 basic emotions, with
  innate facial expression.
• Modifiable by cultural display rules
• Attenuation (weakening)
• Amplification (exaggerating)
• Concealment (masking)
• Substitution (exchange)

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Evidence from Cross-Cultural Studies

• EKMAN et al (1972)
• review of studies in literate cultures
• EKMAN FRIESEN (1971)
• And illiterate cultures
• Shows similarity of labels of expression
  regardless of culture
• Anger
• Fear
• Surprise
• Disgust
• Happiness
• Sadness

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Evidence for neuro-cultural modelEkman, Friesen
Malstrom (1972)

• Showed 25 American and 25 Japanese Ss a neutral
  and a stress-inducing film (a circumcision)
• Watching film on own (unknowingly taped)
• Both groups displayed same facial expressions
• Interviewed by member of own culture
• Group differences in facial displays used when
  discussing with peers

(Cited in Ekman, Freisen, Ellsworth, 1972)
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Support of Ekmans neuro-cultural
modelNeuropsychological evidence

• Deaf and blind studies
• Rinn (1991) Congenitally blind
• when asked to pose basic emotions were judged as
  less proficient than sighted Ss (fear, anger,
  surprise, disgust)
• No difference for humour
• Eibl-Eibesfeldt (1973) Congenitally deaf-blind
  showed same basic repertoire of spontaneous
  facial expression as normal controls

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Neuropsychological evidence (Rinn, 1991)

• Separate control systems
• Sub-cortical system
• Spontaneous facial expression
• Sub cortical
• Bottom-up reflexive expression
• Universal
• Cortical system
• Mediates voluntary system (display rules)
• Controlled
• Top-down contrived expression

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Facial paralysis evidence for 2 systems

• Subcortical system
• Cases of paralysis of volitional facial movement
• cant move the paralysed side when told to smile,
  but can still smile spontaneously on the
  paralysed side when find something funny
• Cortical system
• Cases of paralysis of spontaneous facial
  expression
• can control facial movement, but only when told

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Criticisms of the neurocultural model (1)

• RUSSELL (1991)
• Language used to describe emotion is not
  universal
• Identification of facial expressions from a
  limited range of emotion categories overestimates
  universality
• Obscures subtle (but sig.) differences between
  cultures emotion descriptors

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Criticisms of methodology (Russell, 1994)

• Forced choice method supports neuro-culture model
  
• Happy Sad Contempt
• Disgust Fear Angry
• BUT
• Free choice of label for the emotion does not
  support universality
• Ekman should have shown photo and let his
  subjects choose the emotion they were displaying

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Alternative interpretation (Fridlund, 1994)

• Japanese smiled out of politeness to interviewer
  (graduate student)
• Japanese custom to smile when addressed
  (especially by an authority)
• Less rude for Americans to watch film when
  addressed

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Behavioural Ecology View (Fridlund,1994)

• Alternative model
• Facial displays are simply messages that display
  behavioural intent
• Why 6 or 7 basic emotions plus blends?
• Facial displays depend upon social context
• Manifestations of social intent

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Behavioural ecology reinterpretation

• Anger displays
• Readiness to attack
• Leaked anger/inhibited anger (ie.Ekman)
• Conflict about anger (I want to attack, but I
  dont want to..)
• Contempt face
• Declaration of superiority (I cant even bother
  with you)
• Sad face
• Take care of me/hold me
• Happy face
• Readiness to play/ lets be friends

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Developmental approach

• Differential emotions theory
• Cognitive/constructivist approach
• Attachment theory
• Social referencing

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Differential Emotions Theory (Izard Malatesta,
1987)

• 9 basic emotions
• Interest, joy, sadness, surprise, anger, disgust,
  contempt, fear shame
• 3 components of emotion
• Neural
• Motor-expressive
• Mental

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3 components of basic emotions (Izard
Malatesta, 1987)

• Neural
• Each is linked to a particular neural substratum
• Motor-expressive
• Each is expressed in a distinct manner
• Mental
• Each comprises a specific feeling

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Cognitive/Constructionist Approach I

• Sroufe (1979)
• Affect undifferentiated states of
  distress/non-distress
• Progressive development into differentiated
  emotions
• Cognition acts as central mechanism

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Cognitive development classes of emotion Campos
Barrett (1987)

• 3 classes of emotion
• Primordial fear and disgust
• Concurrent goal anger and sadness
• (linked to environmental goals)
• 3) social shame, guilt, envy and pride

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Attachment theory

• Attachment theorists suggest smiling and crying
  are innate behaviours whose prime function is
  communication
• Crying signals distress to gain attention
• Smiling signals maintenance of attention
• Not always possible to conceal facial expression
  of emotion

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Summary

• Ekman
• Universality of 6 basic emotions
• Culturally specific displays
• Studies of blind children
• Blind children also show same facial expression
  even when no opportunity for social learning
• Behavioral ecology view
• separates emotion from facial displays

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Behavioural Ecology View Criticisms of basic
emotions

• Innate basic emotions view doesnt adequately
  account for blends
• No need to account for false/felt displays as all
  displays arise out of social interaction
• Facial displays do not have to equate to the
  experienced emotion

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Questions to think about

• What evidence is there for universal facial
  expression?
• What is likely to be more influential
• Evolutionary, innate function of emotion?
• Cultural, learned basis of display rules?
• Are babies born socially adept?
• Do they learn to smile to gain attention?
• At what age can babies interpret others emotion?
• Are there separate modular systems of affect?
• What comes first, cognition or emotion?