本族和异族面孔的视觉工作记忆容量:面孔特征的影响

采用延迟探测刺激匹配再认任务,考察面孔种族和内外部特征是否会影响面孔视觉工作记忆容量。被试先识记2或4张中国人或白人的真实面孔图片,一半有内部特征(眼睛、鼻子和嘴巴),另一半有内部和外部特征(脸型、发型),再进行面孔再认判断。采用Cowan’s K值的分析显示,我国被试对本族和异族面孔的视觉工作记忆容量没有差异,但面孔数量与特征多少会影响面孔工作记忆容量,表明对本族和异族面孔的视觉加工不同。     

哭泣表情面孔的注意偏向:眼动的证据

研究采用双选择Oddball范式和线索-靶子范式,并结合眼动技术,以微笑、哭泣和中性表情面孔为刺激材料,综合考察哭泣表情面孔在识别和解离过程中的注意偏向。研究发现:在识别阶段,哭泣表情面孔的识别正确率和反应速度都显著优于微笑表情面孔,进一步的兴趣区注视偏向分析发现,哭泣和微笑表情面孔的注视模式既具有一致的规律,又存在细微的差异;在解离阶段,返回抑制受线索表情类型的影响,在有效线索条件下,哭泣表情线索呈现后个体对目标刺激的平均注视时间和眼跳潜伏期都显著短于其它表情线索。表明哭泣表情面孔在识别和解离过程中具有不同的注意偏向表现,在识别阶段表现为反应输出优势和注视模式上的一致性与差异性;在解离阶段表现为有效线索条件下,对目标刺激定位和视觉加工的促进作用。     

阈上阈下不同面孔表情下的注视线索提示效应

为考察阈上、阈下不同面孔表情下的注视线索提示效应, 实验以阈上和阈下面孔的不同注视朝向为提示线索, 同时变化面孔表情, 要求被试迅速和准确地对随后出现的靶刺激(大写字母)的呈现位置做出判断。结果显示, 在阈上呈现条件下, 注视线索提示效应显著, 且该效应不受面孔表情的影响。在阈下呈现条件下, 注视线索提示效应显著, 但该效应受到了面孔表情的调节, 表现为在注视线索无效时, 判断目标位置所需反应时在正性、负性面孔表情下显著长于中性面孔条件。上述结果说明, 阈上知觉时, 面孔表情虽被清晰感知, 但个体自上而下的控制机制使其被忽略, 因而未能影响个体的注意偏向; 阈下知觉时, 面孔表情得到自动加工, 并影响了个体的注意偏向。     

阈下情绪面孔的注视线索提示效应

采用线索-靶子范式,利用2个预实验和1个正式实验,考察阈下不同情绪面孔的注视线索提示效应。要求被试在具有表情与注视线索的面孔呈现完毕后,快速而准确地对目标的位置进行判断。记录被试反应时间。结果显示,当被试未有意识的觉察到注视线索与面孔表情时,注视线索提示效应存在,并受到表情的调节。表现为:在注视线索有效并伴有恐惧表情时,被试对于目标的判断更加迅速;当比较不同表情下线索无效与线索有效条件下的反应时差异时发现,恐惧表情面孔出现时,线索无效与线索有效条件之间反应时的差异最大。结果表明,阈下情绪刺激能够激发个体更原始的生物性反应;在早期注意阶段,个体对于恐惧信息更加敏感,注意存在负向情绪偏差。     

面孔加工中的热情优先效应：来自眼动的证据

本研究采用眼动追踪技术,从注意的角度考察面孔加工中热情和能力的关系。结果发现：热情面孔比能力面孔的首次注视到达时间更短;热情面孔的注视次数显著多于能力面孔,且总注视时间更长;在趋避判断的消极条件下,个体更倾向于对热情面孔做出回避的判断且反应时更长,在积极条件下则不存在显著差异。这表明,相比于能力面孔,个体对热情面孔注意更加警觉、注意维持更久,回避消极热情面孔的倾向更强。因此,热情面孔在注意和行为判断过程中对个体更加重要,即面孔加工中存在热情优先效应。     

幼儿面孔加工异族效应的眼动研究

本研究探究国内生活的幼儿在加工面孔时视觉策略上的异族效应。研究选取了在中国本地生活并且没有与异族个体有过直接接触的幼儿和成人, 完成一个学习和再认本族和异族(高加索白人)面孔的实验, 同时眼动仪记录了他们看面孔时的眼动数据。结果发现：国内生活的幼儿和成人在加工面孔时存在视觉策略上的异族效应, 即幼儿和成人均更多地看本族面孔的鼻子和嘴巴区域而更多看异族面孔的眼睛区域。此外, 相对于成人, 幼儿在加工面孔时, 更倾向于看面孔的眼睛部分, 进行局部加工。本研究结果在一定程度上支持了专家—— 新手理论, 对本族面孔更多的视觉经验将我们塑造成自身物种或种族的面孔加工专家, 从而对本族面孔更多地采取以鼻子为中心的整体化视觉加工策略。     

情绪语音调节面孔表情的识别：ERP证据

采用事件相关电位（ERP）技术考察了情绪语音影响面孔表情识别的时间进程。通过设置效价一致或不一致的“语音-面孔”对,要求被试判断情绪语音和面孔表情的效价是否一致。行为结果显示,被试对效价一致的“语音-面孔”对的反应更快。ERP结果显示,在70-130ms和220-450ms,不一致条件下的面孔表情比一致条件诱发了更负的波形;在450-750ms,不一致条件下的面孔表情比一致条件诱发更正的后正成分。说明情绪语音对面孔表情识别的多个阶段产生了跨通道影响。     

威胁相关面孔表情对眼睛注视方向知觉的影响

以往研究发现眼睛注视方向知觉受面孔表情的影响,愤怒面孔相较于恐惧面孔更倾向被判断为看着观察者。虽然研究者对此提出了不同的解释,但目前尚不清楚愤怒和恐惧表情在注视方向知觉中的这种差异影响到底来自于面孔的结构信息还是物理特征信息。本研究采用注视方向辨别任务,计算直视知觉范围（The Cone of Direct Gaze,CoDG）为因变量,分别以直立,倒置及模糊图片为实验材料,试图通过分离面孔结构信息和物理特征信息,对以上问题进行探讨。结果发现在保留面孔全部信息的情况下（实验1）愤怒面孔的CoDG大于恐惧面孔;在破坏结构信息加工,只保留特征信息加工的情况下（实验2））愤怒和恐惧表情在直视知觉范围上的差异消失了;在削弱物理特征信息加工,保留结构信息加工的情况下（实验3）二者在CoDG上的差异又复现。本研究结果说明不同威胁性面孔表情对眼睛注视知觉的影响主要来自于二者在与情绪意义相关的结构信息加工上的不同,而二者非低级的物理信息上的差异,支持信号共享假说和情绪评价假说对威胁性面孔表情与注视方向整合加工解释的理论基础。     

面孔社会知觉中的表情效应

面孔社会知觉指知觉者基于面孔所有者的面孔信息对面孔所有者的人格特质等进行知觉推断的过程。表情是人们进行面孔社会知觉的关键线索之一。表情可以单独通过本身的局部特征和结构信息影响面孔社会知觉, 还可以通过对知觉者的情绪诱发或表情传达的行为倾向性来影响面孔社会知觉的结果。考虑到现实生活中多种表情类型的组合及特定表情(伪装表情)高频出现以及知觉者判断人格特质存在主观性, 未来研究要加强多种表情类型对面孔社会知觉的影响研究, 还要进一步将知觉者因素作为未来研究的变量。     

面孔识别的眼动模式研究述评

面孔是一种独特的社会性刺激,面孔识别一直以来都是视觉认知领域的研究热点。近年来,眼动追踪技术在面孔识别的研究中发挥着越来越重要的作用。本文首先综述了面孔识别眼动模式的文化差异,随后分析了面孔种族、面孔熟悉度对面孔识别眼动模式的影响,最后对不同面部表情识别的眼动模式相关研究进行了总结。未来的研究需要进一步探讨面孔识别眼动模式差异的原因和模式差异背后的功能差异,也需要更多关注动态面孔识别的眼动注视模式研究。     

表情判别能力的发展特点与影响因素

本实验通过不同年龄学生对各类表情的判别之研究,探讨了表情判别能力的发展特点及其与个体情绪发展间的关系。结果表明：①身段表情判别能力是导致表情判别年龄差异的核心因素;②面部表情判别能力发展较早,在小学阶段已相当完善,身段表情判别能力发展较晚,到大学阶段才达到与前者相同的水平;③身段表情判别能力的发展与个体情绪发展的阶段性特点及其主要社会适应问题相关联。     

Processing Faces and Facial Expressions

This paper reviews processing of facial identity and expressions. The issue of independence of these two systems for these tasks has been addressed from different approaches over the past 25 years. More recently, neuroimaging techniques have provided researchers with new tools to investigate how facial information is processed in the brain. First, findings from traditional approaches to identity and expression processing are summarized. The review then covers findings from neuroimaging studies on face perception, recognition, and encoding. Processing of the basic facial expressions is detailed in light of behavioral and neuroimaging data. Whereas data from experimental and neuropsychological studies support the existence of two systems, the neuroimaging literature yields a less clear picture because it shows considerable overlap in activation patterns in response to the different face-processing tasks. Further, activation patterns in response to facial expressions support the notion of involved neural substrates for processing different facial expressions.     

Changes in imitative behavior during early infancy

Changes in imitative behavior and attentiveness were observed in 40 infants when they were 2 to 6 months of age. The facial expressions happy, sad, and surprised were modeled in a trials-to-criterion procedure, and the infants' looking time and mouth movements were recorded by an observer who was unaware of the face being modeled. In addition, the observer recorded her guess as to the expression being modeled by the corresponding expression on the infant's face and rated the infant's expressivity. The results suggested that looking time, correspondence between the mouth expression of the infant and the mouth expression modeled, accuracy of the observer's guess, and expressivity ratings decreased from 2 to 3 and 4 to 6 months. Although matching of mouth movements with the modeled mouth movements and accuracy of guesses were greater than chance over the 2 to 6 month-period, the decreases in these measures suggest that imitative behavior declined across early infancy. The decrease in looking time suggests that imitative behavior and attentiveness may be related and highlights the limitation of this paradigm for assessing the development of imitation during early infancy.     

Recognition and Interpretation of Facial Expressions in Dysphoric Women

Two studies are presented that evaluate emotion recognition accuracy and interpretative processing of facial expressions in relation to depressive symptoms in women. Dysphoric women more often attributed themselves as the cause of negative expressions, more often made negative interpretations of others’ thoughts, and had more negative thoughts about themselves when viewing facial expressions. However, dysphoric women were not less accurate or rapid in recognizing facial expressions. An integrative model, the “levels of self-processing view,” is discussed as a synthesis of the results across studies. Limitations of the current studies and future research directions are discussed.     

Can perceivers recognise emotions from spontaneous expressions?

Posed stimuli dominate the study of nonverbal communication of emotion, but concerns have been raised that the use of posed stimuli may inflate recognition accuracy relative to spontaneous expressions. Here, we compare recognition of emotions from spontaneous expressions with that of matched posed stimuli. Participants made forced-choice judgments about the expressed emotion and whether the expression was spontaneous, and rated expressions on intensity (Experiments 1 and 2) and prototypicality (Experiment 2). Listeners were able to accurately infer emotions from both posed and spontaneous expressions, from auditory, visual, and audiovisual cues. Furthermore, perceived intensity and prototypicality were found to play a role in the accurate recognition of emotion, particularly from spontaneous expressions. Our findings demonstrate that perceivers can reliably recognise emotions from spontaneous expressions, and that depending on the comparison set, recognition levels can even be equivalent to that of posed stimulus sets.     

Facial reactions to different emotionally relevant stimuli

Facial EMG activity was measured from the Corrugator supercilii and the Zygomatic major muscle regions while 48 subjects were exposed to pictures of angry and happy facial expressions, snakes and flowers as well as low and high preference nature scenes. The valency perspective predicted that facial reactions should be related to the intensity of the positive and the negative valency of stimuli. The mimicking behavior approach predicted that facial reactions should only be reflected as a mimicking response to the facial stimuli, whereas the evolutionary:biological perspective predicted that the most clearcut positive and negative facial reactions should be evoked by facial stimuli and by snakes. In support of the latter perspective, the present results showed that angry faces and snakes evoked the most distinct Corrugator supercilii muscle response, whereas happy faces evoked the largest Zygomatic major muscle response.     

Ratings of emotion in laterally presented faces: sex and handedness effects

Sixteen right-handed participants (8 male and 8 female students) and 16 left-handed participants (8 male and 8 female students) were presented with cartoon faces expressing emotions ranging from extremely positive to extremely negative. A forced-choice paradigm was used in which the participants were asked to rate the faces as either positive or negative. Compared to men, women rated faces more positively, especially in response to right visual field presentations. Women rated neutral and mildly positive faces more positively in the right than in the left visual field, whereas men rated these faces consistently across visual fields. Handedness did not affect the ratings of emotion. The data suggest a positive emotional bias of the left hemisphere in women.