Examining the visual screening patterns of emotional facial expressions with gender, age and lateralization

Banu Cangöz,Petek Aşkar,Zeynel Baran,Sacide Güzin Mazman,Arif Altun

doi:10.16910/jemr.6.4.3

Banu Cangöz, Petek Aşkar + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.16910/jemr.6.4.3

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Abstract

The main objective of the study is to investigate the effects of age of model, gender of observer, and lateralization on visual screening patterns while looking at the emotional facial expressions. Data were collected through eye tracking methodology. The areas of interests were set to include eyes, nose and mouth. The selected eye metrics were first fixation duration, fixation duration and fixation count. Those eye tracking metrics were recorded for different emotional expressions (sad, happy, neutral), and conditions (the age of model, part of face and lateralization). The results revealed that participants looked at the older faces shorter in time and fixated their gaze less compared to the younger faces. This study also showed that when participants were asked to passively look at the face expressions, eyes were important areas in determining sadness and happiness, whereas eyes and noise were important in determining neutral expression. The longest fixated face area was on eyes for both young and old models. Lastly, hemispheric lateralization hypothesis regarding emotional face process was supported.

Highlights

neuropsychological studies have shown that human face is a
the clues to be obtained from faces are quite functional in regulating human relationships
The processing of data related to the face is fast

Summary

Introduction

Cognitive and neuropsychological studies have shown that human face is a very special sort of stimulus in terms of functions such as perception, recognition, adaptation, social interaction and non-verbal communication. Despite their diversity due to social tags and cultural norms, facial expressions conveying happiness, sadness, anger, scare, disgust, and surprise are considered universal. The observer acquires some innate gains concerning the mental and the emotional state of the observed face. In this respect, the clues to be obtained from faces are quite functional in regulating human relationships. Many studies with adults have shown that females are more capable of determining accurately emotional facial expressions than males (Hall and Matsumoto, 2004; cf Vassalo, Cooper and Douglas, 2009)

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