Empathic Accuracy Without Visual Cues

Abstract

In this research, we examine how visual cues shape emotion perception. We predicted that the total absence of visual cues would increase emotion recognition because these cues heighten concerns about negative self-evaluation — which detract from perceptions of others’ affective states. Participants engaged in two interactions with a stranger in total darkness or a normally lighted room (Study 1), or were exposed to audiovisual or audio-only recordings of interactions while estimating emotions (Studies 2 and 3). Across studies, participants were more accurate perceivers of emotions in the absence, relative to the presence, of visual cues — even when the verbal content of the interactions was held constant (Studies 2 and 3). Follow-up analyses indicate that the presence of visual cues heighten self-conscious impression management concerns in perceivers that detract from reading others’ emotions. Implications for the use of facial cues in emotion perception and lie detection are discussed.