Measurement of the perception of facially expressed emotions by a computerized device: method of analysis and research for the integration of emotions (MARIE)

Abstract

Current computerized tools allow detailed exploration of the structure and functioning of the “black box,” i.e., human cognitive and affective systems as well as thought. This technology was used to study the visual perception of facially expressed emotions. Morphological transition from one canonical emotion to another led to the creation of a continuum of intermediary pictures, and the identification of perceived emotions by 65 normal subjects was measured. We call this application “MARIE” (in French: Méthode d’Analyse et de Recherche de l’Intégration des Émotions; Method of Study and Analysis of Integration of Emotions). Our study examined the relationship between the quantitative modification of the continuum and the quantitative variation of the responses. Standardization of graphs led to the assessment of the two parameters of a Laplace-Gauss curve, i.e., mean and standard deviation. It is argued that such a tool could be very useful in the clinical assessment of the emotional state of subjects and/or of patients.