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Silvestri V, Arioli M, Baccolo E, Macchi Cassia V. Sensitivity to trustworthiness cues in own- and other-race faces: The role of spatial frequency information. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272256. [PMID: 36067183 PMCID: PMC9447876 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Research has shown that adults are better at processing faces of the most represented ethnic group in their social environment compared to faces from other ethnicities, and that they rely more on holistic/configural information for identity discrimination in own-race than other-race faces. Here, we applied a spatial filtering approach to the investigation of trustworthiness perception to explore whether the information on which trustworthiness judgments are based differs according to face race. European participants (N = 165) performed an online-delivered pairwise preference task in which they were asked to select the face they would trust more within pairs randomly selected from validated White and Asian broad spectrum, low-pass filter and high-pass filter trustworthiness continua. Results confirmed earlier demonstrations that trustworthiness perception generalizes across face ethnicity, but discrimination of trustworthiness intensity relied more heavily on the LSF content of the images for own-race faces compared to other-race faces. Results are discussed in light of previous work on emotion discrimination and the hypothesis of overlapping perceptual mechanisms subtending social perception of faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Silvestri
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Martina Arioli
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Baccolo
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
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Mason L, Moessnang C, Chatham C, Ham L, Tillmann J, Dumas G, Ellis C, Leblond CS, Cliquet F, Bourgeron T, Beckmann C, Charman T, Oakley B, Banaschewski T, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Baron-Cohen S, Bölte S, Buitelaar JK, Durston S, Loth E, Oranje B, Persico A, Dell'Acqua F, Ecker C, Johnson MH, Murphy D, Jones EJH. Stratifying the autistic phenotype using electrophysiological indices of social perception. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabf8987. [PMID: 35976994 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abf8987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties in social communication, but also great heterogeneity. To offer individualized medicine approaches, we need to better target interventions by stratifying autistic people into subgroups with different biological profiles and/or prognoses. We sought to validate neural responses to faces as a potential stratification factor in ASD by measuring neural (electroencephalography) responses to faces (critical in social interaction) in N = 436 children and adults with and without ASD. The speed of early-stage face processing (N170 latency) was on average slower in ASD than in age-matched controls. In addition, N170 latency was associated with responses to faces in the fusiform gyrus, measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging, and polygenic scores for ASD. Within the ASD group, N170 latency predicted change in adaptive socialization skills over an 18-month follow-up period; data-driven clustering identified a subgroup with slower brain responses and poor social prognosis. Use of a distributional data-driven cutoff was associated with predicted improvements of power in simulated clinical trials targeting social functioning. Together, the data provide converging evidence for the utility of the N170 as a stratification factor to identify biologically and prognostically defined subgroups in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Mason
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, WC1E 7HX, London, UK
| | - Carolin Moessnang
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | | | - Lindsay Ham
- F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Julian Tillmann
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, London, UK
| | - Guillaume Dumas
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, 75015 Paris, France.,Precision Psychiatry and Social Physiology laboratory, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Montreal, H3T 1C5 Quebec, Canada
| | - Claire Ellis
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, London, UK
| | - Claire S Leblond
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Freddy Cliquet
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Thomas Bourgeron
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Christian Beckmann
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboudumc, 6525 EN Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Tony Charman
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, London, UK
| | - Beth Oakley
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, London, UK
| | - Tobias Banaschewski
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Simon Baron-Cohen
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB Cambridge, UK
| | - Sven Bölte
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
| | - Jan K Buitelaar
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboudumc, 6525 EN Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Sarah Durston
- NICHE-lab, Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center of University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Eva Loth
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, London, UK
| | - Bob Oranje
- NICHE-lab, Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center of University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | - Flavio Dell'Acqua
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, London, UK
| | - Christine Ecker
- Curtin Autism Research Group, School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia
| | - Mark H Johnson
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, WC1E 7HX, London, UK.,Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB Cambridge, UK
| | - Declan Murphy
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, London, UK
| | - Emily J H Jones
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, WC1E 7HX, London, UK
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Yorgancigil E, Yildirim F, Urgen BA, Erdogan SB. An Exploratory Analysis of the Neural Correlates of Human-Robot Interactions With Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:883905. [PMID: 35923750 PMCID: PMC9339604 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.883905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has been gaining increasing interest as a practical mobile functional brain imaging technology for understanding the neural correlates of social cognition and emotional processing in the human prefrontal cortex (PFC). Considering the cognitive complexity of human-robot interactions, the aim of this study was to explore the neural correlates of emotional processing of congruent and incongruent pairs of human and robot audio-visual stimuli in the human PFC with fNIRS methodology. Hemodynamic responses from the PFC region of 29 subjects were recorded with fNIRS during an experimental paradigm which consisted of auditory and visual presentation of human and robot stimuli. Distinct neural responses to human and robot stimuli were detected at the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) regions. Presentation of robot voice elicited significantly less hemodynamic response than presentation of human voice in a left OFC channel. Meanwhile, processing of human faces elicited significantly higher hemodynamic activity when compared to processing of robot faces in two left DLPFC channels and a left OFC channel. Significant correlation between the hemodynamic and behavioral responses for the face-voice mismatch effect was found in the left OFC. Our results highlight the potential of fNIRS for unraveling the neural processing of human and robot audio-visual stimuli, which might enable optimization of social robot designs and contribute to elucidation of the neural processing of human and robot stimuli in the PFC in naturalistic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emre Yorgancigil
- Department of Medical Engineering, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey
- *Correspondence: Emre Yorgancigil
| | - Funda Yildirim
- Cognitive Science Master's Program, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey
- Department of Computer Engineering, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Burcu A. Urgen
- Department of Psychology, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
- Aysel Sabuncu Brain Research Center, National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Sinem Burcu Erdogan
- Department of Medical Engineering, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey
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Ross P, George E. Are Face Masks a Problem for Emotion Recognition? Not When the Whole Body Is Visible. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:915927. [PMID: 35924222 PMCID: PMC9339646 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.915927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The rise of the novel COVID-19 virus has made face masks commonplace items around the globe. Recent research found that face masks significantly impair emotion recognition on isolated faces. However, faces are rarely seen in isolation and the body is also a key cue for emotional portrayal. Here, therefore, we investigated the impact of face masks on emotion recognition when surveying the full body. Stimuli expressing anger, happiness, sadness, and fear were selected from the BEAST stimuli set. Masks were added to these images and participants were asked to recognize the emotion and give a confidence level for that decision for both the masked and unmasked stimuli. We found that, contrary to some work viewing faces in isolation, emotion recognition was generally not impaired by face masks when the whole body is present. We did, however, find that when viewing masked faces, only the recognition of happiness significantly decreased when the whole body was present. In contrast to actual performance, confidence levels were found to decline during the Mask condition across all emotional conditions. This research suggests that the impact of masks on emotion recognition may not be as pronounced as previously thought, as long as the whole body is also visible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paddy Ross
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
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55
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Delgado-Rodríguez R, Madroñal RC, Villalba CV, Martos-Montes R, Ordoñez-Pérez D. The role of dogs in modulating human affective reactivity and sense of safety in emotional urban public spaces. J Vet Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2022.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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56
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Don't look now! Emotion-induced blindness: The interplay between emotion and attention. Atten Percept Psychophys 2022; 84:2741-2761. [PMID: 35701659 PMCID: PMC9630228 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-022-02525-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Scientists have long been interested in understanding the influence of emotionally salient stimuli on attention and perception. One experimental paradigm that has shown great promise in demonstrating the effect of such stimuli is emotion-induced blindness. That is, when emotionally salient stimuli are presented in a rapid stream of stimuli, they produce impairments in the perception of task-relevant stimuli, even though they themselves are task irrelevant. This is known as emotion-induced blindness, and it is a profound and robust form of attentional bias. Here, we review the literature on emotion-induced blindness, such as identifying the types of stimuli that elicit it, and its temporal dynamics. We discuss the role of dimensional versus categorical approaches to emotion in relation to emotion-induced blindness. We also synthesize the work examining whether certain individuals, such as those high in anxiety versus psychopathy, succumb to emotion-induced blindness to different extents, and we discuss whether the deficit can be reduced or even abolished. We review the theoretical models that have been proposed to explain the phenomenon. Finally, we identify exciting questions for future research, and elucidate useful frameworks to guide future investigations.
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57
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Zhang L, Xuan R, Chen Q, Zhao Q, Shi Z, Du J, Zhu C, Yu F, Ji G, Wang K. High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation modulates eye gaze on emotional faces in college students with alexithymia: An eye-tracking study. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2022; 116:110521. [PMID: 35104607 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2022.110521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atypical eye gaze on emotional faces is a core feature of alexithymia. The inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) is considered to be the neurophysiological basis of alexithymia-related emotional face fixation. Our aim was to examine whether anodal high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) administered to the right (r)IFG would facilitate eye gaze of emotional faces in alexithymia individuals. METHOD Forty individuals with alexithymia were equally assigned to anodal or sham HD-tDCS of the rIFG according to the principle of randomization. The individuals then completed a free-viewing eye tracking task (including happy, sad, and neutral faces) before and after 5 consecutive days of stimulation (twice a day). RESULTS The results showed that twice a day anodal HD-tDCS of the rIFG significantly increased the fixation time and fixation count of the eye area on happy and neutral faces, but there was no significant effect on sad faces. According to the temporal-course analysis, after the intervention, the fixation time on neutral faces increased significantly at almost all time points of the eye tracking task. For happy faces, the improvement was demonstrated between 500 and 1000 ms and between 2500 and 3500 ms. For sad faces, the fixation time improved but not significantly. CONCLUSIONS Applying high-dose anodal HD-tDCS to the rIFG selectively facilitated eye gaze in the eye area of neutral and happy faces in individuals with alexithymia, which may improve their face processing patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhang
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
| | - Rongrong Xuan
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Qiuyu Chen
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Qingqing Zhao
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Zhulin Shi
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Jinmei Du
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Chunyan Zhu
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - FengQiong Yu
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Gongjun Ji
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Kai Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, The School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui Province, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei 230032, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei 230088, China.
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58
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Diehl MM, Plakke B, Albuquerque E, Romanski LM. Representation of expression and identity by ventral prefrontal neurons. Neuroscience 2022; 496:243-260. [PMID: 35654293 PMCID: PMC10363293 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.05.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Evidence has suggested that the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) processes social stimuli, including faces and vocalizations, which are essential for communication. Features embedded within audiovisual stimuli, including emotional expression and caller identity, provide abundant information about an individual's intention, emotional state, motivation, and social status, which are important to encode in a social exchange. However, it is unknown to what extent the VLPFC encodes such features. To investigate the role of VLPFC during social communication, we recorded single-unit activity while rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) performed a nonmatch-to-sample task using species-specific face-vocalization stimuli that differed in emotional expression or caller identity. 75% of recorded cells were task-related and of these >70% were responsive during the nonmatch period. A larger proportion of nonmatch cells encoded the stimulus rather than the context of the trial type. A subset of responsive neurons were most commonly modulated by the identity of the nonmatch stimulus and less by the emotional expression, or both features within the face-vocalization stimuli presented during the nonmatch period. Neurons encoding identity were found in VLPFC across a broader region than expression related cells which were confined to only the anterolateral portion of the recording chamber in VLPFC. These findings suggest that, within a working memory paradigm, VLPFC processes features of face and vocal stimuli, such as emotional expression and identity, in addition to task and contextual information. Thus, stimulus and contextual information may be integrated by VLPFC during social communication.
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59
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Canas-Bajo T, Whitney D. Relative tuning of holistic face processing towards the fovea. Vision Res 2022; 197:108049. [PMID: 35461170 PMCID: PMC10101769 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2022.108049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Humans quickly detect and gaze at faces in the world, which reflects their importance in cognition and may lead to tuning of face recognition toward the central visual field. Although sometimes reported, foveal selectivity in face processing is debated: brain imaging studies have found evidence for a central field bias specific to faces, but behavioral studies have found little foveal selectivity in face recognition. These conflicting results are difficult to reconcile, but they could arise from stimulus-specific differences. Recent studies, for example, suggest that individual faces vary in the degree to which they require holistic processing. Holistic processing is the perception of faces as a whole rather than as a set of separate features. We hypothesized that the dissociation between behavioral and neuroimaging studies arises because of this stimulus-specific dependence on holistic processing. Specifically, the central bias found in neuroimaging studies may be specific to holistic processing. Here, we tested whether the eccentricity-dependence of face perception is determined by the degree to which faces require holistic processing. We first measured the holistic-ness of individual Mooney faces (two-tone shadow images readily perceived as faces). In a group of independent observers, we then used a gender discrimination task to measured recognition of these Mooney faces as a function of their eccentricity. Face gender was recognized across the visual field, even at substantial eccentricities, replicating prior work. Importantly, however, holistic face gender recognition was relatively tuned-slightly, but reliably stronger in the central visual field. Our results may reconcile the debate on the eccentricity-dependance of face perception and reveal a spatial inhomogeneity specifically in the holistic representations of faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Canas-Bajo
- Vision Science Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - David Whitney
- Vision Science Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
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Freitas C, Hunt BAE, Wong SM, Ristic L, Fragiadakis S, Chow S, Iaboni A, Brian J, Soorya L, Chen JL, Schachar R, Dunkley BT, Taylor MJ, Lerch JP, Anagnostou E. Atypical Functional Connectivity During Unfamiliar Music Listening in Children With Autism. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:829415. [PMID: 35516796 PMCID: PMC9063167 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.829415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Atypical processing of unfamiliar, but less so familiar, stimuli has been described in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), in particular in relation to face processing. We examined the construct of familiarity in ASD using familiar and unfamiliar songs, to investigate the link between familiarity and autism symptoms, such as repetitive behavior. Methods Forty-eight children, 24 with ASD (21 males, mean age = 9.96 years ± 1.54) and 24 typically developing (TD) controls (21 males, mean age = 10.17 ± 1.90) completed a music familiarity task using individually identified familiar compared to unfamiliar songs, while magnetoencephalography (MEG) was recorded. Each song was presented for 30 s. We used both amplitude envelope correlation (AEC) and the weighted phase lag index (wPLI) to assess functional connectivity between specific regions of interest (ROI) and non-ROI parcels, as well as at the whole brain level, to understand what is preserved and what is impaired in familiar music listening in this population. Results Increased wPLI synchronization for familiar vs. unfamiliar music was found for typically developing children in the gamma frequency. There were no significant differences within the ASD group for this comparison. During the processing of unfamiliar music, we demonstrated left lateralized increased theta and beta band connectivity in children with ASD compared to controls. An interaction effect found greater alpha band connectivity in the TD group compared to ASD to unfamiliar music only, anchored in the left insula. Conclusion Our results revealed atypical processing of unfamiliar songs in children with ASD, consistent with previous studies in other modalities reporting that processing novelty is a challenge for ASD. Relatively typical processing of familiar stimuli may represent a strength and may be of interest to strength-based intervention planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Freitas
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Benjamin A. E. Hunt
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Simeon M. Wong
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Leanne Ristic
- Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Susan Fragiadakis
- Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephanie Chow
- Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alana Iaboni
- Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jessica Brian
- Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Latha Soorya
- Department of Psychiatry, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Joyce L. Chen
- Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Russell Schachar
- Department of Psychiatry Research, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Benjamin T. Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Margot J. Taylor
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Departments of Psychology and Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jason P. Lerch
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Furl N, Begum F, Ferrarese FP, Jans S, Woolley C, Sulik J. Caricatured facial movements enhance perception of emotional facial expressions. Perception 2022; 51:313-343. [PMID: 35341407 PMCID: PMC9017061 DOI: 10.1177/03010066221086452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Although faces “in the wild” constantly undergo complicated movements, humans adeptly
perceive facial identity and expression. Previous studies, focusing mainly on identity,
used photographic caricature to show that distinctive form increases perceived
dissimilarity. We tested whether distinctive facial movements showed
similar effects, and we focussed on both perception of expression and
identity. We caricatured the movements of an animated computer head,
using physical motion metrics extracted from videos. We verified that these “ground truth”
metrics showed the expected effects: Caricature increased physical dissimilarity between
faces differing in expression and those differing in identity. Like the ground truth
dissimilarity, participants’ dissimilarity perception was increased by caricature when
faces differed in expression. We found these perceived dissimilarities to reflect the
“representational geometry” of the ground truth. However, neither of these findings held
for faces differing in identity. These findings replicated across two paradigms: pairwise
ratings and multiarrangement. In a final study, motion caricature did not improve
recognition memory for identity, whether manipulated at study or test. We report several
forms of converging evidence for spatiotemporal caricature effects on dissimilarity
perception of different expressions. However, more work needs to be done to discover what
identity-specific movements can enhance face identification.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Sarah Jans
- Royal Holloway, 3162University of London, UK
| | | | - Justin Sulik
- Royal Holloway, 3162University of London, UK; Cognition, Values & Behavior, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany
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Yang HC, Rahmanti AR, Huang CW, Li YCJ. How Can Research on Artificial Empathy Be Enhanced by Applying Deepfakes? J Med Internet Res 2022; 24:e29506. [PMID: 35254278 PMCID: PMC8933806 DOI: 10.2196/29506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We propose the idea of using an open data set of doctor-patient interactions to develop artificial empathy based on facial emotion recognition. Facial emotion recognition allows a doctor to analyze patients' emotions, so that they can reach out to their patients through empathic care. However, face recognition data sets are often difficult to acquire; many researchers struggle with small samples of face recognition data sets. Further, sharing medical images or videos has not been possible, as this approach may violate patient privacy. The use of deepfake technology is a promising approach to deidentifying video recordings of patients’ clinical encounters. Such technology can revolutionize the implementation of facial emotion recognition by replacing a patient's face in an image or video with an unrecognizable face—one with a facial expression that is similar to that of the original. This technology will further enhance the potential use of artificial empathy in helping doctors provide empathic care to achieve good doctor-patient therapeutic relationships, and this may result in better patient satisfaction and adherence to treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsuan-Chia Yang
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- International Center for Health Information Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Research Center of Big Data and Meta-analysis, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Clinical Big Data Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Annisa Ristya Rahmanti
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- International Center for Health Information Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Health Policy Management, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | - Chih-Wei Huang
- International Center for Health Information Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chuan Jack Li
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- International Center for Health Information Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Research Center of Big Data and Meta-analysis, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Dermatology, Wanfang Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
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63
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Leung FYN, Sin J, Dawson C, Ong JH, Zhao C, Veić A, Liu F. Emotion recognition across visual and auditory modalities in autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2021.101000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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64
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Langbehn AT, Yermol DA, Zhao F, Thorstenson CA, Niedenthal PM. Wearing N95, Surgical, and Cloth Face Masks Compromises the Perception of Emotion. AFFECTIVE SCIENCE 2022; 3:105-117. [PMID: 35098149 PMCID: PMC8790014 DOI: 10.1007/s42761-021-00097-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
According to the familiar axiom, the eyes are the window to the soul. However, wearing masks to prevent the spread of viruses such as COVID-19 involves obscuring a large portion of the face. Do the eyes carry sufficient information to allow for the accurate perception of emotions in dynamic expressions obscured by masks? What about the perception of the meanings of specific smiles? We addressed these questions in two studies. In the first, participants saw dynamic expressions of happiness, disgust, anger, and surprise that were covered by N95, surgical, or cloth masks or were uncovered and rated the extent to which the expressions conveyed each of the same four emotions. Across conditions, participants perceived significantly lower levels of the expressed (target) emotion in masked faces, and this was particularly true for expressions composed of more facial action in the lower part of the face. Higher levels of other (non-target) emotions were also perceived in masked expressions. In the second study, participants rated the extent to which three categories of smiles (reward, affiliation, and dominance) conveyed positive feelings, reassurance, and superiority, respectively. Masked smiles communicated less of the target signal than unmasked smiles, but not more of other possible signals. The present work extends recent studies of the effects of masked faces on the perception of emotion in its novel use of dynamic facial expressions (as opposed to still images) and the investigation of different types of smiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T. Langbehn
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN USA
| | - Dasha A. Yermol
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
| | - Fangyun Zhao
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
| | - Christopher A. Thorstenson
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
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65
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Parada-Fernández P, Herrero-Fernández D, Jorge R, Comesaña P. Wearing mask hinders emotion recognition, but enhances perception of attractiveness. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2022; 184:111195. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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66
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Romero-Martínez Á, Sarrate-Costa C, Moya-Albiol L. A Systematic Review of the Role of Oxytocin, Cortisol, and Testosterone in Facial Emotional Processing. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:1334. [PMID: 34943249 PMCID: PMC8698823 DOI: 10.3390/biology10121334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
A topic of interest is the way decoding and interpreting facial emotional expressions can lead to mutual understanding. Facial emotional expression is a basic source of information that guarantees the functioning of other higher cognitive processes (e.g., empathy, cooperativity, prosociality, or decision-making, among others). In this regard, hormones such as oxytocin, cortisol, and/or testosterone have been found to be important in modifying facial emotion processing. In fact, brain structures that participate in facial emotion processing have been shown to be rich in receptors for these hormones. Nonetheless, much of this research has been based on correlational designs. In recent years, a growing number of researchers have tried to carry out controlled laboratory manipulation of these hormones by administering synthetic forms of these hormones. The main objective of this study was to carry out a systematic review of studies that assess whether manipulation of these three hormones effectively promotes significant alterations in facial emotional processing. To carry out this review, PRISMA quality criteria for reviews were followed, using the following digital databases: PsycINFO, PubMed, Dialnet, Psicodoc, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library, and focusing on manuscripts with a robust research design (e.g., randomized, single- or double-blind, and/or placebo-controlled) to increase the value of this systematic review. An initial identification of 6340 abstracts and retrieval of 910 full texts led to the final inclusion of 101 papers that met all the inclusion criteria. Only about 18% of the manuscripts included reported a direct effect of hormone manipulation. In fact, emotional accuracy seemed to be enhanced after oxytocin increases, but it diminished when cortisol and/or testosterone increased. Nonetheless, when emotional valence and participants' gender were included, hormonal manipulation reached significance (in around 53% of the articles). In fact, these studies offered a heterogeneous pattern in the way these hormones altered speed processing, attention, and memory. This study reinforces the idea that these hormones are important, but not the main modulators of facial emotion processing. As our comprehension of hormonal effects on emotional processing improves, the potential to design good treatments to improve this ability will be greater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ángel Romero-Martínez
- Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Avenida Blasco Ibañez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (C.S.-C.); (L.M.-A.)
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67
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Naros A, Wolf JA, Krimmel M, Kluba S. Three-Dimensional Quantification of Facial Asymmetry in Children with Positional Cranial Deformity. Plast Reconstr Surg 2021; 148:1321-1331. [PMID: 34847120 DOI: 10.1097/prs.0000000000008564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The extent of facial involvement in positional plagiocephaly is only little investigated so far. Investigation methods that take into account the challenging anatomical conditions and growth of infants' faces are desirable. In this study, the authors established a new three-dimensional photogrammetry quantification method evaluating pretherapeutic and posttherapeutic facial asymmetry in positional plagiocephaly. Furthermore, a facial asymmetry index was established and evaluated. METHODS Three-dimensional photographs of 100 children undergoing treatment with head orthoses were analyzed by constructing a standardized interindividual coordinate system. Defining landmarks, section planes, and point coordinates with a computer-aided design software, both sides of the faces were compared. Facial asymmetry was quantified by measuring differences between left and right sides and pretherapeutic and posttherapeutic changes in each patient. The facial asymmetry index was calculated by putting the absolute differences in relation with the coordinates of the nonaffected side. RESULTS Present results indicate that positional plagiocephaly results in a distinct facial asymmetry (range, -3.8 to 9.6 mm) in nearly all spatial directions and facial regions. Helmet therapy led to a significant reduction (p < 0.05) of intraindividual facial asymmetry (median change in facial asymmetry index, -1.9 to 3.1 percent). However, no correlation of the Cranial Vault Asymmetry Index and facial asymmetry (Spearman rank correlation coefficient, ρ = -0.09 to 0.47) has been seen. According to these results, severe occipital deformation does not necessarily provoke distinct facial asymmetry. CONCLUSIONS Present three-dimensional photogrammetry method allows the longitudinal quantification of facial involvement in positional plagiocephaly. Asymmetry has been determined in all facial regions. The facial asymmetry decreased through helmet therapy but was not eliminated completely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Naros
- From the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Tuebingen
| | - Jan A Wolf
- From the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Tuebingen
| | - Michael Krimmel
- From the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Tuebingen
| | - Susanne Kluba
- From the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Tuebingen
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68
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Keating CT, Sowden S, Cook JL. Comparing internal representations of facial expression kinematics between autistic and non-autistic adults. Autism Res 2021; 15:493-506. [PMID: 34846102 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Recent developments suggest that autistic individuals require dynamic angry expressions to have a higher speed in order for them to be successfully identified. Therefore, it is plausible that autistic individuals do not have a 'deficit' in angry expression recognition, but rather their internal representation of these expressions is characterised by very high-speed movement. In this study, matched groups of autistic and non-autistic adults completed a novel emotion-based task which employed dynamic displays of happy, angry and sad point light facial (PLF) expressions. On each trial, participants moved a slider to manipulate the speed of a PLF stimulus until it moved at a speed that, in their 'mind's eye', was typical of happy, angry or sad expressions. Participants were shown three different types of PLFs-those showing the full-face, only the eye region, and only the mouth region, wherein the latter two were included to test whether differences in facial information sampling underpinned any dissimilarities in speed attributions. Across both groups, participants attributed the highest speeds to angry, then happy, then sad, facial motion. Participants increased the speed of angry and happy expressions by 41% and 27% respectively and decreased the speed of sad expressions by 18%. This suggests that participants have 'caricatured' internal representations of emotion, wherein emotion-related kinematic cues are over-emphasised. There were no differences between autistic and non-autistic individuals in the speeds attributed to full-face and partial-face angry, happy and sad expressions respectively. Consequently, we find no evidence that autistic adults possess atypically fast internal representations of anger.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sophie Sowden
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Jennifer L Cook
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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69
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One object, two networks? Assessing the relationship between the face and body-selective regions in the primate visual system. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 227:1423-1438. [PMID: 34792643 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02420-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Faces and bodies are often treated as distinct categories that are processed separately by face- and body-selective brain regions in the primate visual system. These regions occupy distinct regions of visual cortex and are often thought to constitute independent functional networks. Yet faces and bodies are part of the same object and their presence inevitably covary in naturalistic settings. Here, we re-evaluate both the evidence supporting the independent processing of faces and bodies and the organizational principles that have been invoked to explain this distinction. We outline four hypotheses ranging from completely separate networks to a single network supporting the perception of whole people or animals. The current evidence, especially in humans, is compatible with all of these hypotheses, making it presently unclear how the representation of faces and bodies is organized in the cortex.
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70
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Xu J, Zhou L, Liu F, Xue C, Jiang J, Jiang C. The autistic brain can process local but not global emotion regularities in facial and musical sequences. Autism Res 2021; 15:222-240. [PMID: 34792299 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Whether autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with a global processing deficit remains controversial. Global integration requires extraction of regularity across various timescales, yet little is known about how individuals with ASD process regularity at local (short timescale) versus global (long timescale) levels. To this end, we used event-related potentials to investigate whether individuals with ASD would show different neural responses to local (within trial) versus global (across trials) emotion regularities extracted from sequential facial expressions; and if so, whether this visual abnormality would generalize to the music (auditory) domain. Twenty individuals with ASD and 21 age- and IQ-matched individuals with typical development participated in this study. At an early processing stage, ASD participants exhibited preserved neural responses to violations of local emotion regularity for both faces and music. At a later stage, however, there was an absence of neural responses in ASD to violations of global emotion regularity for both faces and music. These findings suggest that the autistic brain responses to emotion regularity are modulated by the timescale of sequential stimuli, and provide insight into the neural mechanisms underlying emotional processing in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Xu
- Department of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Linshu Zhou
- Music College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fang Liu
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Chao Xue
- Department of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun Jiang
- Music College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Cunmei Jiang
- Music College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
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71
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Abstract
Understanding facial signals in humans and other species is crucial for understanding the evolution, complexity, and function of the face as a communication tool. The Facial Action Coding System (FACS) enables researchers to measure facial movements accurately, but we currently lack tools to reliably analyse data and efficiently communicate results. Network analysis can provide a way to use the information encoded in FACS datasets: by treating individual AUs (the smallest units of facial movements) as nodes in a network and their co-occurrence as connections, we can analyse and visualise differences in the use of combinations of AUs in different conditions. Here, we present ‘NetFACS’, a statistical package that uses occurrence probabilities and resampling methods to answer questions about the use of AUs, AU combinations, and the facial communication system as a whole in humans and non-human animals. Using highly stereotyped facial signals as an example, we illustrate some of the current functionalities of NetFACS. We show that very few AUs are specific to certain stereotypical contexts; that AUs are not used independently from each other; that graph-level properties of stereotypical signals differ; and that clusters of AUs allow us to reconstruct facial signals, even when blind to the underlying conditions. The flexibility and widespread use of network analysis allows us to move away from studying facial signals as stereotyped expressions, and towards a dynamic and differentiated approach to facial communication.
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72
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Carlisi CO, Reed K, Helmink FGL, Lachlan R, Cosker DP, Viding E, Mareschal I. Using genetic algorithms to uncover individual differences in how humans represent facial emotion. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:202251. [PMID: 34659775 PMCID: PMC8511778 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.202251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Emotional facial expressions critically impact social interactions and cognition. However, emotion research to date has generally relied on the assumption that people represent categorical emotions in the same way, using standardized stimulus sets and overlooking important individual differences. To resolve this problem, we developed and tested a task using genetic algorithms to derive assumption-free, participant-generated emotional expressions. One hundred and five participants generated a subjective representation of happy, angry, fearful and sad faces. Population-level consistency was observed for happy faces, but fearful and sad faces showed a high degree of variability. High test-retest reliability was observed across all emotions. A separate group of 108 individuals accurately identified happy and angry faces from the first study, while fearful and sad faces were commonly misidentified. These findings are an important first step towards understanding individual differences in emotion representation, with the potential to reconceptualize the way we study atypical emotion processing in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina O. Carlisi
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, Developmental Risk and Resilience Unit, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - Kyle Reed
- Department of Computer Science, University of Bath, 1 West, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Fleur G. L. Helmink
- Erasmus University Medical Center, s-Gravendijkwal 230, Rotterdam 3015 CE, The Netherlands
| | - Robert Lachlan
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, Wolfson Building, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Darren P. Cosker
- Department of Computer Science, University of Bath, 1 West, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Essi Viding
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, Developmental Risk and Resilience Unit, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - Isabelle Mareschal
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Department of Psychology, Queen Mary University of London, G. E. Fogg Building, Mile End Road, London E1 4DQ, UK
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73
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Riadh O, Naoufel O, Ben Rejeb MR, Le Gall D. Impaired social perception from eyes and face visual cues: evidence from prefrontal cortex damage. Soc Neurosci 2021; 16:607-626. [PMID: 34544320 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2021.1983458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Despite the key role that decoding of social-perceptual cues from faces plays in interpersonal communication, it is only recently that the potential of prefrontal cortex damage to disrupt this ability has been recognized. In fact, few studies to date had assessed whether the ability to identify the state of mind of others from the whole or part of the face is disrupted after prefrontal cortex damage and whether these two abilities are associated and share overlapped neural systems. In the present study, 30 patients with focal prefrontal lesions and 30 matched control subjects were assessed on their ability to recognize six basic emotions from facial expressions of the whole face and to identify states of mind of others from photographs of only the eyes using the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task". Results showed that frontal patients were significantly impaired compared with control subjects on both tasks. Moreover, regression analyses showed that these two abilities are associated and reciprocally predictive of one another. Finally, using voxel-based lesion analysis; we identified a partially common bilaterally distributed prefrontal network in the decoding of both emotional cues from both the whole face and eyes centered within the dorsomedial and ventral regions with extension to the lateral frontal pole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ouerchefani Riadh
- University of Tunis El Manar, High Institute of Human Sciences, Department of Psychology, 26 Boulevard Darghouth Pacha, Tunis, Tunisia.,Univ Angers, Université De Nantes, LPPL, SFR CONFLUENCES, F-49000 Angers, France
| | | | - Mohamed Riadh Ben Rejeb
- , University Tunis I, Faculty of Human and Social Science of Tunisia, Department of Psychology, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Didier Le Gall
- Univ Angers, Université De Nantes, LPPL, SFR CONFLUENCES, F-49000 Angers, France
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Baccolo E, Quadrelli E, Macchi Cassia V. Neural sensitivity to trustworthiness cues from realistic face images is associated with temperament: An electrophysiological study with 6-month-old infants. Soc Neurosci 2021; 16:668-683. [PMID: 34469270 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2021.1976271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Discriminating facial cues to trustworthiness is a fundamental social skill whose developmental origins are still debated. Prior investigations used computer-generated faces, which might fail to reflect infants' face processing expertise. Here, Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) were recorded in Caucasian adults (N = 20, 7 males, M age = 25.25 years) and 6-month-old infants (N = 21, 10 males) in response to variations in trustworthiness intensity expressed by morphed images of realistic female faces associated with explicit trustworthiness judgments (Study 1). Preferential looking behavior in response to the same faces was also investigated in infants (N = 27, 11 males) (Study 2). ERP results showed that both age groups distinguished subtle stimulus differences, and that interindividual variability in neural sensitivity to these differences were associated with infants' temperament. No signs of stimulus differentiation emerged from infants' looking behavior. These findings contribute to the understanding of the developmental origins of human sensitivity to social cues from faces by extending prior evidence to more ecological stimuli and by unraveling the mediating role of temperament.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Baccolo
- Department of Psychology, Università Degli Studi Di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Ermanno Quadrelli
- Department of Psychology, Università Degli Studi Di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy.,Nero Mi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milano, Italy
| | - Viola Macchi Cassia
- Department of Psychology, Università Degli Studi Di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy.,Nero Mi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milano, Italy
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75
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Kroczek LOH, Lingnau A, Schwind V, Wolff C, Mühlberger A. Angry facial expressions bias towards aversive actions. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256912. [PMID: 34469494 PMCID: PMC8409676 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Social interaction requires fast and efficient processing of another person's intentions. In face-to-face interactions, aversive or appetitive actions typically co-occur with emotional expressions, allowing an observer to anticipate action intentions. In the present study, we investigated the influence of facial emotions on the processing of action intentions. Thirty-two participants were presented with video clips showing virtual agents displaying a facial emotion (angry vs. happy) while performing an action (punch vs. fist-bump) directed towards the observer. During each trial, video clips stopped at varying durations of the unfolding action, and participants had to recognize the presented action. Naturally, participants' recognition accuracy improved with increasing duration of the unfolding actions. Interestingly, while facial emotions did not influence accuracy, there was a significant influence on participants' action judgements. Participants were more likely to judge a presented action as a punch when agents showed an angry compared to a happy facial emotion. This effect was more pronounced in short video clips, showing only the beginning of an unfolding action, than in long video clips, showing near-complete actions. These results suggest that facial emotions influence anticipatory processing of action intentions allowing for fast and adaptive responses in social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leon O. H. Kroczek
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Angelika Lingnau
- Department of Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Valentin Schwind
- Human Computer Interaction, University of Applied Sciences in Frankfurt a. M, Frankfurt a. M., Germany
- Department of Media Informatics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christian Wolff
- Department of Media Informatics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Mühlberger
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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76
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Abstract
This work reviews the state of the art in multimodal speech emotion recognition methodologies, focusing on audio, text and visual information. We provide a new, descriptive categorization of methods, based on the way they handle the inter-modality and intra-modality dynamics in the temporal dimension: (i) non-temporal architectures (NTA), which do not significantly model the temporal dimension in both unimodal and multimodal interaction; (ii) pseudo-temporal architectures (PTA), which also assume an oversimplification of the temporal dimension, although in one of the unimodal or multimodal interactions; and (iii) temporal architectures (TA), which try to capture both unimodal and cross-modal temporal dependencies. In addition, we review the basic feature representation methods for each modality, and we present aggregated evaluation results on the reported methodologies. Finally, we conclude this work with an in-depth analysis of the future challenges related to validation procedures, representation learning and method robustness.
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77
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Chen PHA, Qu Y. Taking a Computational Cultural Neuroscience Approach to Study Parent-Child Similarities in Diverse Cultural Contexts. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:703999. [PMID: 34512293 PMCID: PMC8426574 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.703999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Parent-child similarities and discrepancies at multiple levels provide a window to understand the cultural transmission process. Although prior research has examined parent-child similarities at the belief, behavioral, and physiological levels across cultures, little is known about parent-child similarities at the neural level. The current review introduces an interdisciplinary computational cultural neuroscience approach, which utilizes computational methods to understand neural and psychological processes being involved during parent-child interactions at intra- and inter-personal level. This review provides three examples, including the application of intersubject representational similarity analysis to analyze naturalistic neuroimaging data, the usage of computer vision to capture non-verbal social signals during parent-child interactions, and unraveling the psychological complexities involved during real-time parent-child interactions based on their simultaneous recorded brain response patterns. We hope that this computational cultural neuroscience approach can provide researchers an alternative way to examine parent-child similarities and discrepancies across different cultural contexts and gain a better understanding of cultural transmission processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pin-Hao A. Chen
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Center for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Robotics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yang Qu
- School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
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78
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Feng S, Lu H, Wang Q, Li T, Fang J, Chen L, Yi L. Face-viewing patterns predict audiovisual speech integration in autistic children. Autism Res 2021; 14:2592-2602. [PMID: 34415113 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Autistic children show audiovisual speech integration deficits, though the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The present study examined how audiovisual speech integration deficits in autistic children could be affected by their looking patterns. We measured audiovisual speech integration in 26 autistic children and 26 typically developing (TD) children (4- to 7-year-old) employing the McGurk task (a videotaped speaker uttering phonemes with her eyes open or closed) and tracked their eye movements. We found that, compared with TD children, autistic children showed weaker audiovisual speech integration (i.e., the McGurk effect) in the open-eyes condition and similar audiovisual speech integration in the closed-eyes condition. Autistic children viewed the speaker's mouth less in non-McGurk trials than in McGurk trials in both conditions. Importantly, autistic children's weaker audiovisual speech integration could be predicted by their reduced mouth-looking time. The present study indicated that atypical face-viewing patterns could serve as one of the cognitive mechanisms of audiovisual speech integration deficits in autistic children. LAY SUMMARY: McGurk effect occurs when the visual part of a phoneme (e.g., "ga") and the auditory part of another phoneme (e.g., "ba") uttered by a speaker were integrated into a fused perception (e.g., "da"). The present study examined how McGurk effect in autistic children could be affected by their looking patterns for the speaker's face. We found that less looking time for the speaker's mouth in autistic children could predict weaker McGurk effect. As McGurk effect manifests audiovisual speech integration, our findings imply that we could improve audiovisual speech integration in autistic children by directing them to look at the speaker's mouth in future intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuyuan Feng
- Institute for Applied Linguistics, School of Foreign Languages, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.,School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Haoyang Lu
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Qiandong Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Tianbi Li
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Fang
- Qingdao Autism Research Institute, Qingdao, China
| | - Lihan Chen
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Li Yi
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at PKU, Peking University, Beijing, China
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79
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Cristel RT, Gandhi ND, Issa TZ, Kola E, Demesh D, Dayan SH. A Randomized, Single-Blind, Crossover Study Evaluating the Impact of OnabotulinumtoxinA Treatment on Mood and Appearance During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Aesthet Surg J 2021; 41:NP1199-NP1205. [PMID: 33871595 PMCID: PMC8083222 DOI: 10.1093/asj/sjab196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The emergence of Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), quickly became one of the most severe disease outbreaks in modern history. This caused many aesthetic practices around the country to close temporarily and led to a unique time period to evaluate the impact neurotoxin has in the setting of an ongoing pandemic. Objectives To examine whether the administration of onabotulinumtoxinA (BOTOX Cosmetic, Allergan plc, Coolock, Ireland), in regular users, synergistically amplifies the elevation in mood/happiness, self-satisfaction with appearance and overall satisfaction, in the context of the ongoing pandemic. Methods A randomized single-blind cross-over study was designed to evaluate the impact of neurotoxin treatment in the upper third of the face on mood, self-satisfaction with appearance, and overall satisfaction. The placebo group crossed over to treatment after 1 month. Surveys evaluating patient happiness, self-satisfaction with appearance and overall efficacy were completed among both groups, and again to the placebo group again following crossover to treatment. Results Forty-five subjects were enrolled with 30 in the treatment and 15 in the control/cross-over group. The placebo group demonstrated no change in happiness or self-satisfaction in appearance until cross-over to the treatment group. Both groups, once receiving, onabotulinumtoxinA reported increased happiness, self-satisfaction with appearance and overall treatment satisfaction. Conclusions OnabotulinumtoxinA treatment to the upper face in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic was found to increase patient happiness, self-satisfaction with appearance, and overall treatment satisfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert T Cristel
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head, and Neck Surgery, Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Tariq Z Issa
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Daniel Demesh
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head, and Neck Surgery, Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Steven H Dayan
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head, and Neck Surgery, Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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80
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Thielgen MM, Schade S, Bosé C. Face processing in police service: the relationship between laboratory-based assessment of face processing abilities and performance in a real-world identity matching task. COGNITIVE RESEARCH-PRINCIPLES AND IMPLICATIONS 2021; 6:54. [PMID: 34351527 PMCID: PMC8342700 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-021-00317-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we investigated whether police officers’ performance in searching for unfamiliar faces in a video-based real-world task is predicted by laboratory-based face processing tests that are typically used to assess individual differences in face processing abilities. Specifically, perceptual performance in the field was operationalized via the identification of target individuals in self-made close-circuit television (CCTV) video tapes. Police officers’ abilities in the laboratory were measured by the Cambridge Face Memory Test long form (CFMT+). We hypothesized that the CFMT+ predicts individual differences in the CCTV task performance. A total of N = 186 police officers of the Rhineland-Palatinate State Police participated in the study (i.e., N = 139 novice and advanced cadets with either 3 months, 15 months or 24 months of pre-service experience; N = 47 experienced police officers with three years of pre-service experience and at least two years of full-service experience, who participated in the assessment center of the special police forces, specifically the surveillance and technical unit). Results revealed that the CFMT+ explained variance in the CCTV task. In sample 1, CFMT+ scores predicted hits, but not false alarms. In contrast, in sample 2, CFMT+ scores were correlated with both hits and false alarms. From a theoretical perspective, we discuss factors that might explain CCTV task performance. From a practical perspective, we recommend that personnel selection processes investigating individual differences of police officers’ face processing abilities should comprise of two steps. At first, laboratory-based tests of face processing abilities should be applied. Subsequently, to validate laboratory-based individual differences in face processing abilities, we recommend that work samples such as CCTV tasks from the field should be added.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus M Thielgen
- Department I - University Education, Area of Study VIII - Social Sciences, Rhineland-Palatinate Police University, Post Box 1111, 55482, Hahn-Airport, Germany.
| | - Stefan Schade
- Department I - University Education, Area of Study VIII - Social Sciences, Rhineland-Palatinate Police University, Post Box 1111, 55482, Hahn-Airport, Germany
| | - Carolin Bosé
- Department I - University Education, Area of Study VIII - Social Sciences, Rhineland-Palatinate Police University, Post Box 1111, 55482, Hahn-Airport, Germany
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81
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Olowo A, Samuel M, Adetona MO. Discriminant evaluations on adolescent facial phenotypic morphological variations between two ethnic groups resident in Ibadan (Nigeria) metropolis – A regional baseline geometric pilot study. FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL: REPORTS 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsir.2021.100193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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82
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Marcolin F, Vezzetti E, Monaci M. Face perception foundations for pattern recognition algorithms. Neurocomputing 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neucom.2021.02.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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83
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Yi J, Pärnamets P, Olsson A. The face value of feedback: facial behaviour is shaped by goals and punishments during interaction with dynamic faces. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:202159. [PMID: 34295516 PMCID: PMC8278067 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.202159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Responding appropriately to others' facial expressions is key to successful social functioning. Despite the large body of work on face perception and spontaneous responses to static faces, little is known about responses to faces in dynamic, naturalistic situations, and no study has investigated how goal directed responses to faces are influenced by learning during dyadic interactions. To experimentally model such situations, we developed a novel method based on online integration of electromyography signals from the participants' face (corrugator supercilii and zygomaticus major) during facial expression exchange with dynamic faces displaying happy and angry facial expressions. Fifty-eight participants learned by trial-and-error to avoid receiving aversive stimulation by either reciprocate (congruently) or respond opposite (incongruently) to the expression of the target face. Our results validated our method, showing that participants learned to optimize their facial behaviour, and replicated earlier findings of faster and more accurate responses in congruent versus incongruent conditions. Moreover, participants performed better on trials when confronted with smiling, when compared with frowning, faces, suggesting it might be easier to adapt facial responses to positively associated expressions. Finally, we applied drift diffusion and reinforcement learning models to provide a mechanistic explanation for our findings which helped clarifying the underlying decision-making processes of our experimental manipulation. Our results introduce a new method to study learning and decision-making in facial expression exchange, in which there is a need to gradually adapt facial expression selection to both social and non-social reinforcements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Yi
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Philip Pärnamets
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Andreas Olsson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
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Zimmermann KM, Schmidt KD, Gronow F, Sommer J, Leweke F, Jansen A. Seeing things differently: Gaze shapes neural signal during mentalizing according to emotional awareness. Neuroimage 2021; 238:118223. [PMID: 34098065 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on social cognition often use complex visual stimuli to asses neural processes attributed to abilities like "mentalizing" or "Theory of Mind" (ToM). During the processing of these stimuli, eye gaze, however, shapes neural signal patterns. Individual differences in neural operations on social cognition may therefore be obscured if individuals' gaze behavior differs systematically. These obstacles can be overcome by the combined analysis of neural signal and natural viewing behavior. Here, we combined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with eye-tracking to examine effects of unconstrained gaze on neural ToM processes in healthy individuals with differing levels of emotional awareness, i.e. alexithymia. First, as previously described for emotional tasks, people with higher alexithymia levels look less at eyes in both ToM and task-free viewing contexts. Further, we find that neural ToM processes are not affected by individual differences in alexithymia per se. Instead, depending on alexithymia levels, gaze on critical stimulus aspects reversely shapes the signal in medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and anterior temporoparietal junction (TPJ) as distinct nodes of the ToM system. These results emphasize that natural selective attention affects fMRI patterns well beyond the visual system. Our study implies that, whenever using a task with multiple degrees of freedom in scan paths, ignoring the latter might obscure important conclusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Marie Zimmermann
- Laboratory for Multimodal Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Department of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, Hospital zum Heiligen Geist, Academic Teaching Hospital of the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen.
| | - Kirsten Daniela Schmidt
- Laboratory for Multimodal Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Franziska Gronow
- Laboratory for Multimodal Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen
| | - Jens Sommer
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen; Core-Unit Brainimaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Frank Leweke
- Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Andreas Jansen
- Laboratory for Multimodal Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen; Core-Unit Brainimaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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85
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Rodger H, Lao J, Stoll C, Richoz AR, Pascalis O, Dye M, Caldara R. The recognition of facial expressions of emotion in deaf and hearing individuals. Heliyon 2021; 7:e07018. [PMID: 34041389 PMCID: PMC8141778 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
During real-life interactions, facial expressions of emotion are perceived dynamically with multimodal sensory information. In the absence of auditory sensory channel inputs, it is unclear how facial expressions are recognised and internally represented by deaf individuals. Few studies have investigated facial expression recognition in deaf signers using dynamic stimuli, and none have included all six basic facial expressions of emotion (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise) with stimuli fully controlled for their low-level visual properties, leaving the question of whether or not a dynamic advantage for deaf observers exists unresolved. We hypothesised, in line with the enhancement hypothesis, that the absence of auditory sensory information might have forced the visual system to better process visual (unimodal) signals, and predicted that this greater sensitivity to visual stimuli would result in better recognition performance for dynamic compared to static stimuli, and for deaf-signers compared to hearing non-signers in the dynamic condition. To this end, we performed a series of psychophysical studies with deaf signers with early-onset severe-to-profound deafness (dB loss >70) and hearing controls to estimate their ability to recognize the six basic facial expressions of emotion. Using static, dynamic, and shuffled (randomly permuted video frames of an expression) stimuli, we found that deaf observers showed similar categorization profiles and confusions across expressions compared to hearing controls (e.g., confusing surprise with fear). In contrast to our hypothesis, we found no recognition advantage for dynamic compared to static facial expressions for deaf observers. This observation shows that the decoding of dynamic facial expression emotional signals is not superior even in the deaf expert visual system, suggesting the existence of optimal signals in static facial expressions of emotion at the apex. Deaf individuals match hearing individuals in the recognition of facial expressions of emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Rodger
- Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Junpeng Lao
- Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Chloé Stoll
- Laboratoire de Psychologie et de Neurocognition (CNRS-UMR5105), Université Grenoble-Alpes, France
| | | | - Olivier Pascalis
- Laboratoire de Psychologie et de Neurocognition (CNRS-UMR5105), Université Grenoble-Alpes, France
| | - Matthew Dye
- National Technical Institute for Deaf/Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Roberto Caldara
- Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
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86
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Nikolis A, Bertucci V, Solish N, Lane V, Nogueira A. An Objective, Quantitative Assessment of Flexible Hyaluronic Acid Fillers in Lip and Perioral Enhancement. Dermatol Surg 2021; 47:e168-e173. [PMID: 33481441 PMCID: PMC8078114 DOI: 10.1097/dss.0000000000002917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND HARK is an FDA-approved flexible filler designed for lips. OBJECTIVE To quantitatively evaluate subject outcomes by measuring the change in lip texture, color (redness), lip fullness, and lip and perioral surface stretch (dynamic strain) after treatment. METHODS AND MATERIALS In this 8-week open-label, Phase IV multicenter study, subjects were treated with HARK in the lips and HARR and/or HARD in perioral wrinkles and folds as add-on treatment. Assessments included 2D photographic analyses of lip texture and color, and 3D photographic assessments of lip enhancement and dynamic strain. RESULTS HARK significantly improved lip texture (p ≤ .002), lip redness (p < .001), and added fullness to the lips (lip enhancement measurements; p < .001), at Week 8 after treatment. In addition, lower lip wrinkles were significantly reduced (p = .007) and there was a reduction in upper lip wrinkles (not statistically significant). Surface stretch (dynamic strain) in the lip and perioral region was significantly increased after treatment (p < .001). CONCLUSION This analysis provides an objective measure of the beneficial effects of flexible hyaluronic acid fillers in lip augmentation and perioral enhancement and demonstrates a significantly improved lip texture, red color, and fullness. A significant increase in surface stretch (dynamic strain) is indicative of tissue expansion and improvement in lip smoothness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Nikolis
- Erevna Innovations Clinical Research Unit, Westmount, Quebec, Canada
- Division of Plastic Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec Canada
| | - Vince Bertucci
- Division of Dermatology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nowell Solish
- Division of Dermatology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Thorstenson CA, Pazda AD. Facial coloration influences social approach-avoidance through social perception. Cogn Emot 2021; 35:970-985. [PMID: 33855931 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2021.1914554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Perceptions of others' social characteristics are essential for guiding social behaviour and decision making. Recent research has demonstrated that increased facial redness facilitates both positive (e.g. health, attractiveness, happiness) and negative (e.g. dominance, anger) social evaluations. Given that similar facial colouration can lead to diverging evaluations, it is unclear how people integrate these cues to inform social decisions (e.g. approach-avoidance). We suggest that the influence of facial redness on social perceptions and decisions depends on contextual information, including facial-muscular emotion expressions. We test this hypothesis across two studies where participants view faces either increasing or decreasing redness, evaluate them on a range of social characteristics (i.e. aggressiveness, attractiveness, health, friendliness, dominance) and decide whether to approach or avoid them. Increased facial redness facilitated, and decreased redness impeded (to a greater extent), perceptions of each social characteristic. However, the extent of this influence was moderated by the muscular expression (i.e. neutral, happy, angry). Further, we found that the influence of facial redness on approach-avoidance was largely mediated by evaluations of attractiveness and health. Altogether, the current work provides nuanced insights into facial colouration's role as a social signal that informs social perception and decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A Thorstenson
- Department of Psychology and Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Adam D Pazda
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina-Aiken, Aiken, SC, USA
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Alexithymia explains atypical spatiotemporal dynamics of eye gaze in autism. Cognition 2021; 212:104710. [PMID: 33862441 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Recognition of emotional facial expressions is considered to be atypical in autism. This difficulty is thought to be due to the way that facial expressions are visually explored. Evidence for atypical visual exploration of emotional faces in autism is, however, equivocal. We propose that, where observed, atypical visual exploration of emotional facial expressions is due to alexithymia, a distinct but frequently co-occurring condition. In this eye-tracking study we tested the alexithymia hypothesis using a number of recent methodological advances to study eye gaze during several emotion processing tasks (emotion recognition, intensity judgements, free gaze), in 25 adults with, and 45 without, autism. A multilevel polynomial modelling strategy was used to describe the spatiotemporal dynamics of eye gaze to emotional facial expressions. Converging evidence from traditional and novel analysis methods revealed that atypical gaze to the eyes is best predicted by alexithymia in both autistic and non-autistic individuals. Information theoretic analyses also revealed differential effects of task on gaze patterns as a function of alexithymia, but not autism. These findings highlight factors underlying atypical emotion processing in autistic individuals, with wide-ranging implications for emotion research.
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89
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Schaller UM, Biscaldi M, Burkhardt A, Fleischhaker C, Herbert M, Isringhausen A, Tebartz van Elst L, Rauh R. ADOS-Eye-Tracking: The Archimedean Point of View and Its Absence in Autism Spectrum Conditions. Front Psychol 2021; 12:584537. [PMID: 33815191 PMCID: PMC8012688 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.584537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Face perception and emotion categorization are widely investigated under laboratory conditions that are devoid of real social interaction. Using mobile eye-tracking glasses in a standardized diagnostic setting while applying the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2), we had the opportunity to record gaze behavior of children and adolescents with and without Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASCs) during social interaction. The objective was to investigate differences in eye-gaze behavior between three groups of children and adolescents either (1) with ASC or (2) with unconfirmed diagnosis of ASC or (3) with neurotypical development (NTD) during social interaction with an adult interviewer in a diagnostic standard situation using the ADOS-2. In a case control study, we used mobile eye-tracking glasses in an ecologically valid and highly standardized diagnostic interview to investigate suspected cases of ASC. After completion of the ASC diagnostic gold standard including the ADOS-2, the participants were assigned to two groups based on their diagnosis (ASC vs. non-ASC) and compared with a matched group of neurotypically developed controls. The primary outcome measure is the percentage of total dwell times assessed for different areas of interest (AOI) with regard to the face and body of a diagnostic interviewer and the surrounding space. Overall, 65 children and adolescents within an age range of 8.3-17.9 years were included in the study. The data revealed significant group differences, especially in the central-face area. Previous investigations under laboratory conditions gave preferential attention to the eye region during face perception to describe differences between ASC and NTD. In this study - using an ecologically valid setting within a standard diagnostic procedure - the results indicate that neurotypically developed controls seem to process faces and facial expressions in a holistic manner originating from the central-face region. Conversely, participants on the Autism Spectrum (tAS) seem to avoid the central-face region and show unsystematic gaze behavior, not using the preferred landing position in the central-face region as the Archimedean point of face perception. This study uses a new approach, and it will be important to replicate these preliminary findings in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Max Schaller
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Monica Biscaldi
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Anna Burkhardt
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Christian Fleischhaker
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael Herbert
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Anna Isringhausen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ludger Tebartz van Elst
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Reinhold Rauh
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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90
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Shiro Y, Nagai S, Hayashi K, Aono S, Nishihara M, Ushida T. Changes in visual attentional behavior in complex regional pain syndrome: A preliminary study. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0247064. [PMID: 33621226 PMCID: PMC7901762 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of the present study was to investigate the visual attentional behavior towards a pain-affected area and face/body images using eye tracking in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) patients. Moreover, we investigated the relationship between visual attentional behavior and clinical symptoms. Patients and methods Eight female patients with CRPS type 1 in their upper limbs and 8 healthy adult women participated in this study. First, the participants were asked to watch videoclips in a relaxed manner (Videoclip 1 featured young adults who introduced themselves; Videoclip 2 featured young adults touching the hand of the other person sitting across from them with their hand.) Eye movement data were tracked with eye-tracking glasses. Results In video clip 1, the fixation duration (FD) and fixation count (FC) on faces tended to be lower in CRPS patients than in healthy controls. This tendency was found in patients with low body cognitive distortions. In video clip 2, CRPS patients displayed significantly lower FD and FC on the unaffected hand while watching a video of the unaffected hand being touched compared with healthy controls. Moreover, patients with low body cognitive distortion displayed significantly longer FD on the affected hand. Conclusion Some CRPS patients differed in visual attentional behavior toward the face and body compared with healthy controls. In addition, our findings suggest that patients with lower body cognitive distortion may have a high visual attention for the affected hand, while patients with higher distortion may be neglecting the affected hand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukiko Shiro
- Multidisciplinary Pain Center, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
- Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Department of Physical Therapy, Nagoya Gakuin University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Shuhei Nagai
- Multidisciplinary Pain Center, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Hayashi
- Multidisciplinary Pain Center, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Shuichi Aono
- Department of Pain Data Management, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Makoto Nishihara
- Multidisciplinary Pain Center, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Takahiro Ushida
- Multidisciplinary Pain Center, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
- * E-mail:
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Davila-Montero S, Dana-Le JA, Bente G, Hall AT, Mason AJ. Review and Challenges of Technologies for Real-Time Human Behavior Monitoring. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS 2021; 15:2-28. [PMID: 33606635 DOI: 10.1109/tbcas.2021.3060617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
A person's behavior significantly influences their health and well-being. It also contributes to the social environment in which humans interact, with cascading impacts to the health and behaviors of others. During social interactions, our understanding and awareness of vital nonverbal messages expressing beliefs, emotions, and intentions can be obstructed by a variety of factors including greatly flawed self-awareness. For these reasons, human behavior is a very important topic to study using the most advanced technology. Moreover, technology offers a breakthrough opportunity to improve people's social awareness and self-awareness through machine-enhanced recognition and interpretation of human behaviors. This paper reviews (1) the social psychology theories that have established the framework to study human behaviors and their manifestations during social interactions and (2) the technologies that have contributed to the monitoring of human behaviors. State-of-the-art in sensors, signal features, and computational models are categorized, summarized, and evaluated from a comprehensive transdisciplinary perspective. This review focuses on assessing technologies most suitable for real-time monitoring while highlighting their challenges and opportunities in near-future applications. Although social behavior monitoring has been highly reported in psychology and engineering literature, this paper uniquely aims to serve as a disciplinary convergence bridge and a guide for engineers capable of bringing new technologies to bear against the current challenges in real-time human behavior monitoring.
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Vaitonytė J, Blomsma PA, Alimardani M, Louwerse MM. Realism of the face lies in skin and eyes: Evidence from virtual and human agents. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR REPORTS 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chbr.2021.100065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
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93
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Nitta H, Hashiya K. Self-face perception in 12-month-old infants: A study using the morphing technique. Infant Behav Dev 2020; 62:101479. [PMID: 33333429 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2020.101479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The present study investigated self-face perception in 12-month-old infants using the morphing technique. Twenty-four 12-month-old infants participated in both the main and control experiments. In the main experiment, we used the participant's own face, an unfamiliar infant's face (age- and gender-matched), and a morphed face comprising 50 % each of the self and unfamiliar faces as stimuli. The control experiment followed the same procedure, except that the self-face was replaced with another unfamiliar face. In both experiments, two of these stimuli were presented side by side on a monitor in each trial, and infants' fixation duration was measured. Results showed that shorter fixation durations were found for the morphed face compared with the self-face and the unfamiliar face in the main experiment, but there were no significant preferences for any comparisons in the control experiment. The results suggest that 12-month-old infants could detect subtle differences in facial features between the self-face and the other faces, and infants might show less preference for the self-resembling morphed face due to increased processing costs, which can be interpreted using the uncanny valley hypothesis. Overall, representations of the self-face seem to a certain extent to be formed by the end of the first year of life through daily visual experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Nitta
- Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Kazuhide Hashiya
- Faculty of Human-Environment Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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94
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Boyaci O, Serpedin E, Stotland MA. Personalized quantification of facial normality: a machine learning approach. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21375. [PMID: 33288815 PMCID: PMC7721909 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78180-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
What is a normal face? A fundamental task for the facial reconstructive surgeon is to answer that question as it pertains to any given individual. Accordingly, it would be important to be able to place the facial appearance of a patient with congenital or acquired deformity numerically along their own continuum of normality, and to measure any surgical changes against such a personalized benchmark. This has not previously been possible. We have solved this problem by designing a computerized model that produces realistic, normalized versions of any given facial image, and objectively measures the perceptual distance between the raw and normalized facial image pair. The model is able to faithfully predict human scoring of facial normality. We believe this work represents a paradigm shift in the assessment of the human face, holding great promise for development as an objective tool for surgical planning, patient education, and as a means for clinical outcome measurement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osman Boyaci
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, 77843, USA
| | - Erchin Serpedin
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, 77843, USA
| | - Mitchell A Stotland
- Division of Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery, Department of Surgery, Sidra Medicine, C1-121 OPC, Doha, 26999, Qatar.
- Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar, Doha, 26999, Qatar.
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95
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Pascalis O, Fort M, Quinn PC. Development of face processing: are there critical or sensitive periods? Curr Opin Behav Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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96
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Smartphones and psychological well-being in China: Examining direct and indirect relationships through social support and relationship satisfaction. TELEMATICS AND INFORMATICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tele.2020.101469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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97
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Skewes JC, Kemp T, Paton B, Hohwy J. How are attention, learning, and social cognition related on the non-clinical autistic spectrum? Acta Psychol (Amst) 2020; 210:103157. [PMID: 32801071 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2020.103157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) - and autistic traits more generally - are associated with a heterogeneous pattern of differences in cognitive function. These include differences in associative learning, attention, and processing of social information. All three cognitive functions have importance in clinical, educational, and research contexts. The present study investigates the relationships between these functions in the context of autistic traits in the neurotypical population. In an online study, we asked a group of over 400 people to complete the Autism Spectrum Quotient questionnaire. We also asked participants to complete one of two standard attentional learning paradigms - either a Kamin blocking or an attentional highlighting task. To investigate the relation of attention and learning to social information processing, we incorporated social cues in one of each kind of paradigm. We found Kamin blocking increased with increasing number of autistic traits, in particular the sub-trait attention switching, but only for non-social cues. We found that highlighting decreased with increasing number of traits, in particular the sub-trait communication, but only for social cues. We interpret these findings as evidence of a crucial role for attention in other characteristics of the broader autistic phenotype, and discuss the relevance of these results for cognitive explanations of autistic traits and symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua C Skewes
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science, and Semiotics, Aarhus University, Denmark; Interacting Minds Centre, Department of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Denmark.
| | - Tony Kemp
- School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, Australia
| | - Bryan Paton
- School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, Australia; Cognition and Philosophy Lab, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jakob Hohwy
- Cognition and Philosophy Lab, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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98
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Abstract
Gaze-where one looks, how long, and when-plays an essential part in human social behavior. While many aspects of social gaze have been reviewed, there is no comprehensive review or theoretical framework that describes how gaze to faces supports face-to-face interaction. In this review, I address the following questions: (1) When does gaze need to be allocated to a particular region of a face in order to provide the relevant information for successful interaction; (2) How do humans look at other people, and faces in particular, regardless of whether gaze needs to be directed at a particular region to acquire the relevant visual information; (3) How does gaze support the regulation of interaction? The work reviewed spans psychophysical research, observational research, and eye-tracking research in both lab-based and interactive contexts. Based on the literature overview, I sketch a framework for future research based on dynamic systems theory. The framework holds that gaze should be investigated in relation to sub-states of the interaction, encompassing sub-states of the interactors, the content of the interaction as well as the interactive context. The relevant sub-states for understanding gaze in interaction vary over different timescales from microgenesis to ontogenesis and phylogenesis. The framework has important implications for vision science, psychopathology, developmental science, and social robotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roy S Hessels
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Developmental Psychology, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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99
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Bylemans T, Vrancken L, Verfaillie K. Developmental Prosopagnosia and Elastic Versus Static Face Recognition in an Incidental Learning Task. Front Psychol 2020; 11:2098. [PMID: 32982859 PMCID: PMC7488957 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research on the beneficial effect of motion has postulated that learning a face in motion provides additional cues to recognition. Surprisingly, however, few studies have examined the beneficial effect of motion in an incidental learning task and developmental prosopagnosia (DP) even though such studies could provide more valuable information about everyday face recognition compared to the perception of static faces. In the current study, 18 young adults (Experiment 1) and five DPs and 10 age-matched controls (Experiment 2) participated in an incidental learning task during which both static and elastically moving unfamiliar faces were sequentially presented and were to be recognized in a delayed visual search task during which the faces could either keep their original presentation or switch (from static to elastically moving or vice versa). In Experiment 1, performance in the elastic-elastic condition reached a significant improvement relative to the elastic-static and static-elastic condition, however, no significant difference could be detected relative to the static-static condition. Except for higher scores in the elastic-elastic compared to the static-elastic condition in the age-matched group, no other significant differences were detected between conditions for both the DPs and the age-matched controls. The current study could not provide compelling evidence for a general beneficial effect of motion. Age-matched controls performed generally worse than DPs, which may potentially be explained by their higher rates of false alarms. Factors that could have influenced the results are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Bylemans
- Brain and Cognition, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Leia Vrancken
- Brain and Cognition, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Karl Verfaillie
- Brain and Cognition, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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100
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Spitzer M. Masked education? The benefits and burdens of wearing face masks in schools during the current Corona pandemic. Trends Neurosci Educ 2020; 20:100138. [PMID: 32917303 PMCID: PMC7417296 DOI: 10.1016/j.tine.2020.100138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Face masks can prevent the spread of the virus SARS-CoV-2, in particular as this spread can occur from people with no symptoms. However, covering the lower half of the face reduces the ability to communicate, interpret, and mimic the expressions of those with whom we interact. Positive emotions become less recognizable, and negative emotions are amplified. Emotional mimicry, contagion, and emotionality in general are reduced and (thereby) bonding between teachers and learners, group cohesion, and learning - of which emotions are a major driver. The benefits and burdens of face masks in schools should be seriously considered and made obvious and clear to teachers and students. The school's specific situation must also inform any decision regarding face mask use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred Spitzer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Ulm, Leimgrubenweg 12-14, D-89075 Ulm, Germany.
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