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Cassidy BS, Saribay SA, Yüksel H, Kleisner K. Attractiveness Differentially Affects Direct Versus Indirect Face Evaluations in Two Cultures. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 21:14747049231186119. [PMID: 37428141 PMCID: PMC10355303 DOI: 10.1177/14747049231186119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Although decades of research have identified facial features relating to people's evaluations of faces, specific features have largely been examined in isolation from each other. Recent work shows that considering the relative importance of these features in face evaluations is important to test theoretical assumptions of impression formation. Here, we examined how two facial features of evolutionary interest, facial attractiveness and facial-width-to-height ratio (FWHR), relate to evaluations of faces across two cultures. Because face evaluations are typically directly measured via self-reports, we also examined whether these features exert differential effects on both direct and indirect face evaluations. Evaluations of standardized photos naturally varying in facial attractiveness and FWHR were collected using the Affect Misattribution Procedure in the United States and Turkey. When their relative contributions were considered in the same model, facial attractiveness, but not FWHR, related to face evaluations across cultures. This positive attractiveness effect was stronger for direct versus indirect evaluations across cultures. These findings highlight the importance of considering the relative contributions of facial features to evaluations across cultures and suggest a culturally invariant role of attractiveness when intentionally evaluating faces.
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Emotion recognition bias depends on stimulus morphing strategy. Atten Percept Psychophys 2022; 84:2051-2059. [PMID: 35790680 PMCID: PMC9255837 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-022-02532-0] [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: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Emotion recognition is vital for social interactions, and atypical (or biased) emotion recognition has been linked to mental health disorders including depression and anxiety. However, biases in emotion recognition vary across studies, and it is unclear whether this reflects genuine group differences in psychological processes underlying emotion recognition or differences in methodologies. One common method to measure biases in emotion recognition involves morphing a face between two emotional expressions in different ratios and asking participants to categorise the faces as belonging to one of the two emotion categories (‘direct-morphing’ method). However, this method creates morphed faces that are not ecologically valid. Alternatively, faces may be morphed through a neutral expression (‘morphing-through-neutral’ method), which is more ecologically valid since emotional expressions usually start from a neutral face. To compare these two approaches, we measured emotion recognition biases using two morphing techniques in 136 participants who also completed measures of anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (PHQ-9). Biases obtained using the two methods differed significantly: In the direct-morphing method, participants perceived the central 50% happy/50% angry face as slightly happy, whereas in the morphing-through-neutral method the neutral face was seen as angry. There were no associations between biases and depression or anxiety scores for either morphing method. This study is the first to directly compare emotion recognition biases obtained using two different morphing methods and is a first step towards reconciling discrepancies in the literature.
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Facial width to height ratio and perceived aggression: The disjunction effect of horizontal and vertical components. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.111578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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4
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Bracci M, Guidi S, Marchigiani E, Masini M, Palmitesta P, Parlangeli O. Perception of Faces and Elaboration of Gender and Victim/Aggressor Stereotypes: The Influence of Internet Use and of the Perceiver's Personality. Front Psychol 2021; 12:561480. [PMID: 34239467 PMCID: PMC8258252 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.561480] [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: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of social media, particularly among youngsters, is characterized by simple and fast image exploration, mostly of people, particularly faces. The study presented here was conducted in order to investigate stereotypical judgments about men and women concerning past events of aggression—perpetrated or suffered—expressed on the basis of their faces, and gender-related differences in the judgments. To this aim, 185 participants answered a structured questionnaire online. The questionnaire contained 30 photos of young people’s faces, 15 men and 15 women (Ma et al., 2015), selected on the basis of the neutrality of their expression, and participants were asked to rate each face with respect to masculinity/femininity, strength/weakness, and having a past of aggression, as a victim or as a perpetrator. Information about the empathic abilities and personality traits of participants were also collected. The results indicate that the stereotypes—both of gender and those of victims and perpetrators—emerge as a consequence of the visual exploration of faces that present no facial emotion. Some characteristics of the personality of the observers, such as neuroticism, extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, and affective empathy, have a role in facilitating or hindering stereotype processing, in different ways for male and female faces by male and female observers. In particular, both genders attribute their positive stereotypical attributes to same-gender faces: men see male faces as stronger, masculine, and more aggressive than women do, and women see female faces as more feminine, less weak, and less as victims than men do. Intensive use of social media emerges as a factor that could facilitate the expression of some stereotypes of violent experiences and considering female subjects as more aggressive. Findings in this study can contribute to research on aggressive behavior on the Internet and improve our understanding of the multiple factors involved in the elaboration of gender stereotypes relative to violent or victim behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Bracci
- Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences, Dispoc, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Stefano Guidi
- Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences, Dispoc, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Enrica Marchigiani
- Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences, Dispoc, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Maurizio Masini
- Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences, Dispoc, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Paola Palmitesta
- Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences, Dispoc, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Oronzo Parlangeli
- Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences, Dispoc, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
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Merlhiot G, Mondillon L, Méot A, Dutheil F, Mermillod M. Facial width-to-height ratio underlies perceived dominance on facial emotional expressions. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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6
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Bohil CJ, Kleider-Offutt HM, Killingsworth C, Meacham AM. Training away face-type bias: perception and decisions about emotional expression in stereotypically Black faces. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2020; 85:2727-2741. [PMID: 33074362 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-020-01420-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Prior research indicates that stereotypical Black faces (e.g., wide nose, full lips) are perceived negatively relative to non-stereotypical faces (face-type bias). The current study investigated whether stereotypical faces may bias the interpretation of a neutral facial expression to seem threatening. Moreover, could biased responses be trained away with feedback? In two experiments, stimuli (face images) were presented in a speeded identification task that included corrective feedback, and participants indicated whether the face stimuli were stereotypical or not and threatening or not. Stimuli were pre-rated by face-type (stereotypical, non-stereotypical) and expression (neutral, threatening). Computational modeling based on General Recognition Theory indicated that training increased perceptual discriminability between all the faces. By the end of training (in both experiments), discriminability for emotional expression was slightly higher for stereotypical faces. Model parameters (for both experiments) also showed that, early in training, decision boundaries were more biased toward the threatening response for stereotypical faces relative to non-stereotypical faces. The results suggest that decision bias may be malleable with training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey J Bohil
- Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA.
| | | | - Clay Killingsworth
- Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA
| | - Ashley M Meacham
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA
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Beseris EA, Naleway SE, Carrier DR. Impact Protection Potential of Mammalian Hair: Testing the Pugilism Hypothesis for the Evolution of Human Facial Hair. Integr Org Biol 2020; 2:obaa005. [PMID: 33791549 PMCID: PMC7671116 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obaa005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Because facial hair is one of the most sexually dimorphic features of humans (Homo sapiens) and is often perceived as an indicator of masculinity and social dominance, human facial hair has been suggested to play a role in male contest competition. Some authors have proposed that the beard may function similar to the long hair of a lion’s mane, serving to protect vital areas like the throat and jaw from lethal attacks. This is consistent with the observation that the mandible, which is superficially covered by the beard, is one of the most commonly fractured facial bones in interpersonal violence. We hypothesized that beards protect the skin and bones of the face when human males fight by absorbing and dispersing the energy of a blunt impact. We tested this hypothesis by measuring impact force and energy absorbed by a fiber epoxy composite, which served as a bone analog, when it was covered with skin that had thick hair (referred to here as “furred”) versus skin with no hair (referred to here as “sheared” and “plucked”). We covered the epoxy composite with segments of skin dissected from domestic sheep (Ovis aries), and used a drop weight impact tester affixed with a load cell to collect force versus time data. Tissue samples were prepared in three conditions: furred (n = 20), plucked (n = 20), and sheared (n = 20). We found that fully furred samples were capable of absorbing more energy than plucked and sheared samples. For example, peak force was 16% greater and total energy absorbed was 37% greater in the furred compared to the plucked samples. These differences were due in part to a longer time frame of force delivery in the furred samples. These data support the hypothesis that human beards protect vulnerable regions of the facial skeleton from damaging strikes.
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Beseris
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 S. 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - S E Naleway
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, 100 S. 1495 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - D R Carrier
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 S. 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
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When a face type is perceived as threatening: Using general recognition theory to understand biased categorization of Afrocentric faces. Mem Cognit 2019. [PMID: 29516401 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-018-0801-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Prior research indicates that stereotypical Black faces (e.g., wide nose, full lips: Afrocentric) are often associated with crime and violence. The current study investigated whether stereotypical faces may bias the interpretation of facial expression to seem threatening. Stimuli were prerated by face type (stereotypical, nonstereotypical) and expression (neutral, threatening). Later in a forced-choice task, different participants categorized face stimuli as stereotypical or not and threatening or not. Regardless of prerated expression, stereotypical faces were judged as more threatening than were nonstereotypical faces. These findings were supported using computational models based on general recognition theory (GRT), indicating that decision boundaries were more biased toward the threatening response for stereotypical faces than for nonstereotypical faces. GRT analysis also indicated that perception of face stereotypicality and emotional expression are dependent, both across categories and within individual categories. Higher perceived stereotypicality predicts higher perception of threat, and, conversely, higher ratings of threat predict higher perception of stereotypicality. Implications for racial face-type bias influencing perception and decision-making in a variety of social and professional contexts are discussed.
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Satchell LP. From photograph to face-to-face: Brief interactions change person and personality judgments. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2019.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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10
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Hehman E, Stolier RM, Freeman JB, Flake JK, Xie SY. Toward a comprehensive model of face impressions: What we know, what we do not, and paths forward. SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY COMPASS 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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11
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Hirst RB, Conaboy C, Vaughn D, H Enriquez R, Wickham R. The "Jay-Dar" Phenomenon: Individuals Discriminate Cannabis Users from Nonusers Based Upon a Photograph. Subst Use Misuse 2018; 53:2359-2367. [PMID: 29958041 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2018.1474228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE With increasing legalization of medicinal and recreational cannabis, use is on the rise. Research suggests individuals may be able to guess cannabis user status based upon appearance; however, these findings utilized a small sample of photographs that was not balanced on user status or gender. Further, no studies examined whether raters with cannabis experience are better at judging others' cannabis use, or what physical features they use to make these judgments. This study explored these factors using a larger, balanced photograph database. METHOD An American sample (n = 249, 48.6% female, mean age = 35.19 years) rated 36 photographs (18 cannabis users, 18 nonusers) balanced on gender and age on the likelihood that the photographed individuals use cannabis, producing 8964 ratings. Respondents also reported physical features considered in their ratings, as well as their own cannabis use history. RESULTS As hypothesized, photographs of users received higher ratings on the Marijuana Use Likelihood Index relative to nonusers. Further, results revealed a gender by rater user status interaction, indicating that raters with no previous cannabis experience rated males higher than females, while raters with cannabis experience did not demonstrate this rating discrepancy. Cannabis use explained over 9% of the variance in ratings across all photographs. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest individuals do rate cannabis users as more likely to be users, relative to nonusers, based upon appearance alone. These findings have important implications, not only for research on chronic cannabis use effects, but also for social and achievement factors such as potential stigma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rayna B Hirst
- a Department of Psychology , Palo Alto University , Palo Alto , California , USA
| | - Casey Conaboy
- a Department of Psychology , Palo Alto University , Palo Alto , California , USA
| | - Dylan Vaughn
- a Department of Psychology , Palo Alto University , Palo Alto , California , USA
| | - Richard H Enriquez
- a Department of Psychology , Palo Alto University , Palo Alto , California , USA
| | - Robert Wickham
- a Department of Psychology , Palo Alto University , Palo Alto , California , USA
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12
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Lieberz KA, Müller-Engelmann M, Bornefeld-Ettmann P, Priebe K, Weidmann A, Fydrich T, Geniole SN, McCormick CM, Rausch S, Thome J, Steil R. Detecting implicit cues of aggressiveness in male faces in revictimized female PTSD patients and healthy controls. Psychiatry Res 2018; 267:429-437. [PMID: 29980121 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.05.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Revised: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Victimized women are thought to have impairments in identifying risk and to have dysfunctional reactions to threatening situations, which increase the risk for revictimization. To investigate possible deficits in revictimized women, we used a method examining women's perceptions of an implicit facial cue of aggressiveness - the facial Width-to-Height Ratio (fWHR). We tested whether revictimized women show impairments in detecting aggressiveness in male faces by neglecting cues of fWHR and choosing a smaller preferred distance to men. Fifty-two revictimized PTSD patients and 52 healthy controls provided ratings of aggressiveness and attractiveness for 65 photographed men and chose their preferred distance towards 11 pictured men. Multiple regression analyses indicated that revictimized women do not show impairments in perceiving and reacting to cues of aggression accurately. Hierarchical linear models, however, indicated that revictimized women rated all men as less aggressive. Revictimized women with histories of intimate partner violence (IPV) rated men with larger fWHRs and higher values of actual aggression to be more attractive than did revictimized women without IPV histories. A reduced appraisal of threat signals as threatening and an attraction to wider-faced and more aggressive men might increase the risk for revictimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara A Lieberz
- Goethe University, Department of Clinical Psychology and Intervention, Institute of Psychology, Varrentrappstr. 40-42 60486 Frankfurt Main, Germany.
| | - Meike Müller-Engelmann
- Goethe University, Department of Clinical Psychology and Intervention, Institute of Psychology, Varrentrappstr. 40-42 60486 Frankfurt Main, Germany
| | - Pia Bornefeld-Ettmann
- Goethe University, Department of Clinical Psychology and Intervention, Institute of Psychology, Varrentrappstr. 40-42 60486 Frankfurt Main, Germany
| | - Kathlen Priebe
- Humboldt-Universität, Department of Psychology, Unter den Linden 6 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - Anke Weidmann
- Humboldt-Universität, Department of Psychology, Unter den Linden 6 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Fydrich
- Humboldt-Universität, Department of Psychology, Unter den Linden 6 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - Shawn N Geniole
- Brock University, Department of Psychology, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, Ontario L2S 3A1, Canada; Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Cheryl M McCormick
- Brock University, Department of Psychology, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, Ontario L2S 3A1, Canada; Brock University, Centre for Neuroscience, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, Ontario L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Sophie Rausch
- Institute of Psychiatric and Psychosomatic Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J 5 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Janine Thome
- Institute of Psychiatric and Psychosomatic Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J 5 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Regina Steil
- Goethe University, Department of Clinical Psychology and Intervention, Institute of Psychology, Varrentrappstr. 40-42 60486 Frankfurt Main, Germany
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Satchell L, Morris P, Akehurst L, Morrison E. Can Judgments of Threat Reflect an Approaching Person's Trait Aggression? CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2018; 37:661-667. [PMID: 30147282 PMCID: PMC6097022 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-016-9557-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
When in a vulnerable situation (such as walking alone at night), an approaching person may be seen as ‘threatening’. Here, we are interested in how well participants’ judgments of threat reflected the trait aggression of approaching target people. We use two similar experiments to demonstrate and replicate the relationship between judgments of threat and target aggression. In both studies participants judged how threatening they found 22 approaching people (presented in videos). In Study One, participants judged the targets whilst sitting at a computer. In Study Two, participants were standing and were either oriented facing the videos, or oriented away from the videos so they had to look over their shoulder. This was to emulate a potentially threatening person approaching from behind. Across both studies, there was strong evidence that the average judgments of the threat posed by the approaching targets accurately reflected the targets’ trait aggression. It was also found that there was noteworthy variability in individual participants’ ability to detect aggression, with a few participants even having an inverse relationship between threat and the target’s aggression. This research demonstrates that judgments of how ‘threatening’ a person is can be used to accurately index trait aggression at a distance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam Satchell
- 1Centre for Situated Action and Communication, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, King Henry Building, King Henry 1 Street, Portsmouth, PO1 2DY UK.,2International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, King Henry Building, King Henry 1 Street, Portsmouth, PO1 2DY UK
| | - Paul Morris
- 1Centre for Situated Action and Communication, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, King Henry Building, King Henry 1 Street, Portsmouth, PO1 2DY UK
| | - Lucy Akehurst
- 2International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, King Henry Building, King Henry 1 Street, Portsmouth, PO1 2DY UK
| | - Ed Morrison
- 3The Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, King Henry Building, King Henry 1 Street, Portsmouth, PO1 2DY UK
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14
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MacDonell ET, Geniole SN, McCormick CM. Force versus fury: Sex differences in the relationships among physical and psychological threat potential, the facial width-to-height ratio, and judgements of aggressiveness. Aggress Behav 2018; 44:512-523. [PMID: 29878380 DOI: 10.1002/ab.21771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2017] [Revised: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with larger facial width-to-height ratios (FWHRs) are judged as more threatening, and engage in more threat-related behavior, than do individuals with smaller FWHRs. Here we identified components of threat potential that are related to the FWHR. In Study 1, the FWHR was correlated positively with physical threat potential (bicep size) in women and with both physical and psychological (anger proneness) threat potential in men. Behavioral aggression was measured in a subset of these participants using the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (costly aggression) and a Money Allocation Task (non-costly aggression). Psychological (but not physical) threat potential predicted non-costly aggression and physical (but not psychological) threat potential predicted costly aggression. In Study 2, a separate set of participants judged the anger proneness, strength, or aggressiveness of male participants photographed in Study 1. Participants' judgements of all three characteristics were associated with the FWHR, and there were sex differences in how aggressiveness was conceptualized (for women, aggressiveness was associated with anger proneness, for men, aggressiveness was associated with strength). These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the FWHR may be an adaptation to cue the threat potential of men.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shawn N Geniole
- Department of Psychology, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada
- Faculty of Psychology, Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Cheryl M McCormick
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Neuroscience, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
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15
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Yang Y, Tang C, Qu X, Wang C, Denson TF. Group Facial Width-to-Height Ratio Predicts Intergroup Negotiation Outcomes. Front Psychol 2018; 9:214. [PMID: 29515511 PMCID: PMC5826369 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Past studies have found that the facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR) is associated with a range of traits and behaviors that are possibly important to dyadic negotiations. However, it is unknown whether the FWHR would have an impact on intergroup negotiations, which happen frequently and often have higher stakes in the real world. To examine this question, in the current study, we randomly assigned 1,337 Chinese business executives into 288 groups and they completed a multi-issue negotiation exercise against each other. Results showed that groups with larger maximum individual FWHRs achieved objectively better negotiation outcomes. We conclude that groups containing individuals with relatively large FWHRs can claim more value in negotiations between groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Yang
- School of Entrepreneurship and Management, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chen Tang
- School of Labor and Employment Relations, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Xiaofei Qu
- School of Entrepreneurship and Management, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chao Wang
- Department of Business Administration, College of Business, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Thomas F. Denson
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Abstract
Several lines of evidence suggest that angularity and curvilinearity are relied upon to infer the presence or absence of threat. This study examines whether angular shapes are more salient in threatening compared with nonthreatening emotionally neutral faces. The saliency of angular shapes was measured by the amount of local maxima in S(θ), a function that characterizes how the Fourier magnitude spectrum varies along specific orientations. The validity of this metric was tested and supported with images of threatening and nonthreatening real-world objects and abstract patterns that have predominantly angular or curvilinear features (Experiment 1). This metric was then applied to computer-generated faces that maximally correlate with threat (Experiment 2a) and to real faces that have been rated according to threat (Experiment 3). For computer-generated faces, angular shapes became increasingly salient as the threat level of the faces increased. For real faces, the saliency of angular shapes was not predictive of threat ratings after controlling for other well-established threat cues, however, other facial features related to angularity (e.g., brow steepness) and curvilinearity (e.g., round eyes) were significant predictors. The results offer preliminary support for angularity as a threat cue for emotionally neutral faces.
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18
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Lieberz KA, Windmann S, Geniole SN, McCormick CM, Mueller-Engelmann M, Gruener F, Bornefeld-Ettmann P, Steil R. The facial width-to-height ratio determines interpersonal distance preferences in the observer. Aggress Behav 2017; 43:460-470. [PMID: 28261811 DOI: 10.1002/ab.21704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Revised: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) is correlated with a number of aspects of aggressive behavior in men. Observers appear to be able to assess aggressiveness from male fWHR, but implications for interpersonal distance preferences have not yet been determined. This study utilized a novel computerized stop-distance task to examine interpersonal space preferences of female participants who envisioned being approached by a man; men's faces photographed posed in neutral facial expressions were shown in increasing size to mimic approach. We explored the effect of the men's fWHR, their behavioral aggression (measured previously in a computer game), and women's ratings of the men's aggressiveness, attractiveness, and masculinity on the preferred interpersonal distance of 52 German women. Hierarchical linear modelling confirmed the relationship between the fWHR and trait judgements (ratings of aggressiveness, attractiveness, and masculinity). There were effects of fWHR and actual aggression on the preferred interpersonal distance, even when controlling statistically for men's and the participants' age. Ratings of attractiveness, however, was the most influential variable predicting preferred interpersonal distance. Our results extend earlier findings on fWHR as a cue of aggressiveness in men by demonstrating implications for social interaction. In conclusion, women are able to accurately detect aggressiveness in emotionally neutral facial expressions, and adapt their social distance preferences accordingly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara A. Lieberz
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Intervention, Institute of Psychology; Goethe University; Frankfurt Main Germany
| | - Sabine Windmann
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology; Goethe University; Frankfurt Main Germany
| | - Shawn N. Geniole
- Department of Psychology; Brock University; St. Catharines, Ontario Canada
- Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods; Faculty of Psychology; University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Cheryl M. McCormick
- Department of Psychology; Brock University; St. Catharines, Ontario Canada
- Centre for Neuroscience; Brock University; St. Catharines, Ontario Canada
| | - Meike Mueller-Engelmann
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Intervention, Institute of Psychology; Goethe University; Frankfurt Main Germany
| | - Felix Gruener
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Intervention, Institute of Psychology; Goethe University; Frankfurt Main Germany
| | - Pia Bornefeld-Ettmann
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Intervention, Institute of Psychology; Goethe University; Frankfurt Main Germany
| | - Regina Steil
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Intervention, Institute of Psychology; Goethe University; Frankfurt Main Germany
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Robertson JM, Kingsley BE, Ford GC. Sexually Dimorphic Faciometrics in Humans From Early Adulthood to Late Middle Age: Dynamic, Declining, and Differentiated. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2017; 15:1474704917730640. [PMID: 28901197 PMCID: PMC10480910 DOI: 10.1177/1474704917730640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Faciometrics have widely been used in contemporary studies on gender-related behavioral traits, for example, perceived and actual aggression, co-operation and trustworthiness, prejudicial beliefs, unethical behavior, and achievement drive, as well as, but to a lesser degree, in nonhuman primates. For the large part, these studies have focused primarily on "student-aged" populations with little empirical scrutiny regarding the efficacy of applying these measures with older participants. This study therefore investigated sexual dimorphism across four age-groups (20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s) in 444 participants (225 men). The expected sexual dimorphism was seen in the youngest age group in three of the four indices. The facial width to height ratio, however, although most commonly used empirically, was not found to be significantly different between men and women, consistent with more recent literature. Importantly, as age increased, sexual dimorphism decreased, but this was not consistent across all measures of it. Rather, it is evident that differing measures of sexual dimorphism follow distinct developmental trajectories. The only single marker which remained significantly different across all age-groups was cheekbone prominence. Sexual dimorphic faciometrics are therefore dynamic, declining, and differentiated through adulthood. Consequently, it is concluded that care should be taken in using faciometrics in studies involving older populations and that more research is needed to understand the impact of these distinct faciometric trajectories in gender- and masculinity-related studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M. Robertson
- Buckinghamshire New University, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
| | - Barbara E. Kingsley
- Buckinghamshire New University, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
| | - Gina C. Ford
- Buckinghamshire New University, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
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Watier N, Healy C, Armstrong H. Effects of Photo-Depicted Pupil Diameter on Judgments of Others' Attentiveness and on Facial Recognition Memory. Percept Mot Skills 2017; 124:366-379. [PMID: 28361647 DOI: 10.1177/0031512516685191] [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: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Occasionally, individuals perceive that someone is no longer paying attention to the discussion at hand even when there are no overt cues of inattentiveness. As a preliminary study of this phenomenon, we examined whether pupil diameter might be implicitly used to infer others' attentiveness. Forty participants (27 women, 13 men, M age = 19.7 year, SD = 2.8) were presented with images of male faces with either large or small pupils, and, in the context of a personnel selection scenario, participants then judged the attentiveness of the person in the image. Images of faces with large pupils were judged as more attentive, compared with images of faces with small pupils. Face recognition memory performance was not affected by depicted pupil size. Our results are consistent with the proposal that pupillary fluctuations can be an index of perceived attention, and they provide preliminary evidence that pupil dilation may be implicitly relied upon to infer attentional states.
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Abstract
AbstractAn evolutionary approach highlights that accuracy should be expected over error because selection pressures will have shaped social perception to be functional. Behaviour is extremely complex and so it is unlikely that observers will be perfectly accurate, but an evolutionary view strongly predicts that people will behave as rational observers and in many cases social perception should favour adaptive responses.
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Bird BM, Cid Jofré VS, Geniole SN, Welker KM, Zilioli S, Maestripieri D, Arnocky S, Carré JM. Does the facial width-to-height ratio map onto variability in men's testosterone concentrations? EVOL HUM BEHAV 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2016.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Lyons M, Blanchard A. “I could see, in the depth of his eyes, my own beauty reflected”: Women's assortative preference for narcissistic, but not for Machiavellian or psychopathic male faces. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2016.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Re DE, Rule NO. Predicting Firm Success From the Facial Appearance of Chief Executive Officers of Non-Profit Organizations. Perception 2016; 45:1137-50. [PMID: 27329518 DOI: 10.1177/0301006616652043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Recent research has demonstrated that judgments of Chief Executive Officers' (CEOs') faces predict their firms' financial performance, finding that characteristics associated with higher power (e.g., dominance) predict greater profits. Most of these studies have focused on CEOs of profit-based businesses, where the main criterion for success is financial gain. Here, we examined whether facial appearance might predict measures of success in a sample of CEOs of non-profit organizations (NPOs). Indeed, contrary to findings for the CEOs of profit-based businesses, judgments of leadership and power from the faces of CEOs of NPOs negatively correlated with multiple measures of charitable success (Study 1). Moreover, CEOs of NPOs looked less powerful than the CEOs of profit-based businesses (Study 2) and leadership ratings positively associated with warmth-based traits and NPO success when participants knew the faces belonged to CEOs of NPOs (Study 3). CEOs who look less dominant may therefore achieve greater success in leading NPOs, opposite the relationship found for the CEOs of profit-based companies. Thus, the relationship between facial appearance and leadership success varies by organizational context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Re
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada
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Geniole SN, Denson TF, Dixson BJ, Carré JM, McCormick CM. Evidence from Meta-Analyses of the Facial Width-to-Height Ratio as an Evolved Cue of Threat. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0132726. [PMID: 26181579 PMCID: PMC4504483 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2015] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR) is the width of the face divided by the height of the upper face. There is mixed evidence for the hypothesis that the FWHR is a cue of threat and dominance in the human face. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analyses of all peer-reviewed studies (and 2 unpublished studies) to estimate the magnitude of the sex difference in the FWHR, and the magnitude of the relationship between the FWHR and threatening and dominant behaviours and perceptions. Studies were eligible for inclusion if the authors reported an analysis involving the FWHR. Our analyses revealed that the FWHR was larger in men than in women ( d¯ = .11, n = 10,853), cued judgements of masculinity in men ( r¯ = .35, n of faces = 487; n of observers = 339), and was related to body mass index ( r¯ = .31, n = 2,506). Further, the FWHR predicted both threat behaviour in men ( r¯ = .16, n = 4,603) and dominance behaviour in both sexes ( r¯ = .12, n = 948) across a variety of indices. Individuals with larger FWHRs were judged by observers as more threatening ( r¯ = .46, n of faces = 1,691; n of observers = 2,076) and more dominant ( r¯ = .20, n of faces = 603; n of observers = 236) than those with smaller FWHRs. Individuals with larger FWHRs were also judged as less attractive ( r¯ = -.26, n of faces = 721; n of observers = 335), especially when women made the judgements. These findings provide some support for the hypothesis that the FWHR is part of an evolved cueing system of intra-sexual threat and dominance in men. A limitation of the meta-analyses on perceptions of threat and dominance were the low number of stimuli involving female and older adult faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn N. Geniole
- Psychology Department, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
| | - Thomas F. Denson
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Barnaby J. Dixson
- School of Psychology, the University of Queensland, St. Lucia 4072, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Justin M. Carré
- Department of Psychology, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cheryl M. McCormick
- Psychology Department, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Neuroscience, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Geniole SN, McCormick CM. Facing our ancestors: judgements of aggression are consistent and related to the facial width-to-height ratio in men irrespective of beards. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2014.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Zilioli S, Sell AN, Stirrat M, Jagore J, Vickerman W, Watson NV. Face of a fighter: Bizygomatic width as a cue of formidability. Aggress Behav 2015; 41:322-30. [PMID: 24910133 DOI: 10.1002/ab.21544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2014] [Revised: 04/25/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Humans can accurately extract information about men's formidability from their faces; however, the actual facial cues that inform these judgments have not been established. Here, through three studies, we test the hypothesis that bizygomatic width (i.e. facial width-to-height ratio, fWHR) covaries with actual physical formidability (hypothesis #1) and that humans use this cue when making assessments of formidability (hypothesis #2). Our data confirm that fWHR is predictive of actual fighting ability among professional combatants (study 1). We further show that subjects' assessments of formidability covary with the target's fWHR on natural faces (study 2), computer-generated images of strong and weak faces (study 2), and experimentally manipulated computer-generated faces (study 3). These results support the hypothesis that bizygomatic width is a cue of formidability that is assessed during agonistic encounters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuele Zilioli
- Department of Psychology; Simon Fraser University; Burnaby BC Canada
| | - Aaron N. Sell
- School of Criminology and Criminal Justice; Griffith University; Nathan QLD Australia
| | - Michael Stirrat
- Psychology, School of Natural Sciences; University of Stirling; Stirling Scotland
| | - Justin Jagore
- Department of Psychology; Simon Fraser University; Burnaby BC Canada
| | - William Vickerman
- Department of Psychology; Simon Fraser University; Burnaby BC Canada
| | - Neil V. Watson
- Department of Psychology; Simon Fraser University; Burnaby BC Canada
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Ma F, Xu F, Luo X. CHILDREN'S AND ADULTS' JUDGMENTS OF FACIAL TRUSTWORTHINESS: THE RELATIONSHIP TO FACIAL ATTRACTIVENESS. Percept Mot Skills 2015; 121:179-98. [PMID: 26108060 DOI: 10.2466/27.22.pms.121c10x1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Existing research suggests that adults make effective trustworthiness judgments based on facial attractiveness during initial interactions. However, little is known about how children judge trustworthiness from faces. The present study examined the facial features that contributed to judgments of trustworthiness and attractiveness by three groups of Chinese children aged 8 years old (n=34; 17 boys), 10 years old (n=34; 17 boys), and 12 years old (n = 34; 17 boys) and a comparison group of 37 undergraduates (M age=20.2 yr.; 16 men). Using FaceGen Modeler 3.1, a total of 400 East Asian adult faces (200 male, 200 female) portraying neutral emotions with direct gazes were generated. The faces were represented by 61 shape features and were presented for a maximum of 3,000 msec. in the center of the computer screen in randomized order. The participants were asked to judge whether each person was trustworthy and to rate the level of trustworthiness; 1 month later, the attractiveness of the same faces was judged using a similar procedure. The children and the adults used similar facial features to judge trustworthiness (e.g., the brow ridge, nose, and chin). Some of the facial features used by the different age groups as the basis for the trustworthiness and attractiveness judgments were similar. Facial attractiveness accounted for roughly 30 to 60% of the variance in the groups' trustworthiness judgments. Thus, facial attractiveness may serve as a heuristic property that signals trustworthiness and guides adaptive social decisions. More importantly, even children as young as 8 years old use a strategy similar to that of adults to make trustworthiness judgments, although some differences in the use of specific facial features were observed among the age groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengling Ma
- 1 Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fen Xu
- 1 Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xianming Luo
- 2 School of Environmental Science and Public Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
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Hehman E, Flake JK, Freeman JB. Static and Dynamic Facial Cues Differentially Affect the Consistency of Social Evaluations. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN 2015; 41:1123-34. [DOI: 10.1177/0146167215591495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2015] [Accepted: 05/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Individuals are quite sensitive to others’ appearance cues when forming social evaluations. Cues such as facial emotional resemblance are based on facial musculature and thus dynamic. Cues such as a face’s structure are based on the underlying bone and are thus relatively static. The current research examines the distinction between these types of facial cues by investigating the consistency in social evaluations arising from dynamic versus static cues. Specifically, across four studies using real faces, digitally generated faces, and downstream behavioral decisions, we demonstrate that social evaluations based on dynamic cues, such as intentions, have greater variability across multiple presentations of the same identity than do social evaluations based on static cues, such as ability. Thus, although evaluations of intentions vary considerably across different instances of a target’s face, evaluations of ability are relatively fixed. The findings highlight the role of facial cues’ consistency in the stability of social evaluations.
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Haselhuhn MP, Ormiston ME, Wong EM. Men's facial width-to-height ratio predicts aggression: a meta-analysis. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0122637. [PMID: 25849992 PMCID: PMC4388848 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent research has identified men’s facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) as a reliable predictor of aggressive tendencies and behavior. Other research, however, has failed to replicate the fWHR-aggression relationship and has questioned whether previous findings are robust. In the current paper, we synthesize existing work by conducting a meta-analysis to estimate whether and how fWHR predicts aggression. Our results indicate a small, but significant, positive relationship between men’s fWHR and aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P. Haselhuhn
- School of Business Administration, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Elaine M. Wong
- School of Business Administration, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
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31
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McCormick CM. Watch where and how you stick pins when playing with voodoo correlations. The Journal of General Psychology 2015; 140:82-6. [PMID: 24837347 DOI: 10.1080/00221309.2012.737872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The author comments on the (mis?)portrayal of her research in an article by Brand and Bradley (2012).
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Perceiving Aggression from Facial Structure: Further Evidence for A Positive Association with Facial Width–To–Height Ratio and Masculinity, but Not for Moderation by Self–Reported Dominance. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/per.1942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Recent work has indicated that individual differences in facial structure are linked to perceptions of aggressiveness. In particular, the relative width of a face [facial width–to–height ratio (fWHR)] has been suggested to be a reliable cue to aggressive behaviour, at least in men. Additionally, facial masculinity has been associated with perceptions of dominance, a close proxy of aggressiveness. In two studies, we assessed the robustness of this link using faces transformed along these vectors in men (Studies 1 and 2) and women (Study 2). Additionally, we examined whether individual differences in self–reported dominance of perceivers moderated this association in order to extend previous work indicating that own dominance affects perception of such behaviour in others. Results indicated that both male and female faces with increased fWHR and increased facial masculinity were perceived as more aggressive. However, we found no systematic evidence for moderating effects of self–reported dominance on the perception of aggression in others. Taken together, these results further support the robustness of fWHR and facial masculinity as cues to aggressiveness but question whether observers’ own dominance moderates their perception of these cues in others. Copyright © 2013 European Association of Personality Psychology
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Gladstone E, O’Connor KM. A counterpart’s feminine face signals cooperativeness and encourages negotiators to compete. ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AND HUMAN DECISION PROCESSES 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2014.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Boshyan J, Zebrowitz LA, Franklin RG, McCormick CM, Carré JM. Age similarities in recognizing threat from faces and diagnostic cues. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2014; 69:710-8. [PMID: 23743626 PMCID: PMC4189649 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbt054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2013] [Accepted: 05/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous research indicates that younger adults (YA) can identify men's tendency to be aggressive based merely on their neutral expression faces. We compared older adults (OA) and YA accuracy and investigated contributing facial cues. METHOD In Study 1, YA and OA rated the aggressiveness of young men depicted in facial photographs in a control, distraction, or accuracy motivation condition. In Study 2, YA and OA rated how angry, attractive, masculine, and babyfaced the men looked in addition to rating their aggressiveness. These measures plus measured facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR) were used to examine cues to aggressiveness. RESULTS Accuracy coefficients, calculated by correlating rated aggressiveness with the men's previously measured actual aggressiveness, were significant and equal for OA and YA. Accuracy was not moderated by distraction or accuracy motivation, suggesting automatic processing. A greater FWHR, lower attractiveness, and higher masculinity independently influenced rated aggressiveness by both age groups and also were valid cues to actual aggressiveness. DISCUSSION Despite previous evidence for positivity biases in OA, they can be just as accurate as YA when it comes to discerning actual differences in the aggressiveness of young men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine Boshyan
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts.
| | | | - Robert G Franklin
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts
| | - Cheryl M McCormick
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
| | - Justin M Carré
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
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Cieri RL, Churchill SE, Franciscus RG, Tan J, Hare B. Craniofacial Feminization, Social Tolerance, and the Origins of Behavioral Modernity. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2014. [DOI: 10.1086/677209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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36
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Carrier DR, Morgan MH. Protective buttressing of the hominin face. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2014; 90:330-46. [PMID: 24909544 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2013] [Revised: 04/10/2014] [Accepted: 04/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
When humans fight hand-to-hand the face is usually the primary target and the bones that suffer the highest rates of fracture are the parts of the skull that exhibit the greatest increase in robusticity during the evolution of basal hominins. These bones are also the most sexually dimorphic parts of the skull in both australopiths and humans. In this review, we suggest that many of the facial features that characterize early hominins evolved to protect the face from injury during fighting with fists. Specifically, the trend towards a more orthognathic face; the bunodont form and expansion of the postcanine teeth; the increased robusticity of the orbit; the increased robusticity of the masticatory system, including the mandibular corpus and condyle, zygoma, and anterior pillars of the maxilla; and the enlarged jaw adductor musculature are traits that may represent protective buttressing of the face. If the protective buttressing hypothesis is correct, the primary differences in the face of robust versus gracile australopiths may be more a function of differences in mating system than differences in diet as is generally assumed. In this scenario, the evolution of reduced facial robusticity in Homo is associated with the evolution of reduced strength of the upper body and, therefore, with reduced striking power. The protective buttressing hypothesis provides a functional explanation for the puzzling observation that although humans do not fight by biting our species exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism in the strength and power of the jaw and neck musculature. The protective buttressing hypothesis is also consistent with observations that modern humans can accurately assess a male's strength and fighting ability from facial shape and voice quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R Carrier
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 S 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, U.S.A
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37
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Lefevre CE, Wilson VAD, Morton FB, Brosnan SF, Paukner A, Bates TC. Facial width-to-height ratio relates to alpha status and assertive personality in capuchin monkeys. PLoS One 2014; 9:e93369. [PMID: 24705247 PMCID: PMC3976278 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2013] [Accepted: 03/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Social dominance hierarchies play a pivotal role in shaping the behaviour of many species, and sex differences within these hierarchies often exist. To date, however, few physical markers of dominance have been identified. Such markers would be valuable in terms of understanding the etiology of dominant behaviour and changes in social hierarchies over time. Animals may also use such traits to evaluate the potential dominance of others relative to themselves (i.e. a physical "cue"). Facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR), for example, has been suggested as a cue to dominance in humans, with links to both dominant behaviour and the perception of dominance in other individuals. Whether this association is present in non-human animals is currently not known. Therefore, here we examine within-species links between fWHR and dominant behaviour in 64 brown capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) aged between 2 and 40 years. fWHR was positively associated with alpha status and with a dimensional rating of assertive personality in both males and females. Moreover, fWHR showed significant sexual dimorphism in adults but not juveniles, suggesting a developmental change may occur during puberty. In a sub-sample, sex differences were mediated by weight, suggesting fWHR dimorphism does not exceed what would be expected by differences in body weight. This is the first report of an association between face shape and behaviour in a non-human species. Results are discussed in terms of the role that face-behaviour associations might play within capuchin societies, and the possible selective forces that might have led to the evolution of fWHR-dominance associations in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Emilia Lefevre
- Centre for Decision Research, Leeds University Business School, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Vanessa A. D. Wilson
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Scottish Primate Research Group, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - F. Blake Morton
- Scottish Primate Research Group, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Behaviour and Evolution Research Group, Psychology, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah F. Brosnan
- Department of Psychology and Language Research Centre, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Annika Paukner
- Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Poolesville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Timothy C. Bates
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Marsh AA, Cardinale EM, Chentsova-Dutton YE, Grossman MR, Krumpos KA. Power Plays. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PERSONALITY SCIENCE 2014. [DOI: 10.1177/1948550613519684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Both transient and stable facial cues have evolved as essential features of social communication in humans. Accumulating research links actual and perceived aggression to a higher ratio between the height and bizygomatic width of a person’s face (facial width-to-height ratio [WHR]) and shows that digitally increasing this ratio can alter apparent aggressiveness. We present evidence that facial behaviors associated with anger—the state most closely associated with aggressive intentions—also increase facial WHR, mimicking the facial morphology of aggressive individuals. In Study 1, individuals induced to appear aggressive naturally increased their facial WHR using anger-related facial behaviors. In Study 2, we found that validated anger expressions increased facial WHR and that this change predicts increased attributions of aggressiveness. We also found statistical suggestions that anger-related facial behaviors may serve as cues that overrepresent the expresser’s aggressiveness. Our findings suggest that facial behaviors associated with anger may have emerged to facilitate aggressive encounters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail A. Marsh
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | | | - Molli R. Grossman
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Kalli A. Krumpos
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
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39
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Geniole SN, Keyes AE, Carré JM, McCormick CM. Fearless dominance mediates the relationship between the facial width-to-height ratio and willingness to cheat. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2013.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Gilboa-Schechtman E, Shachar-Lavie I. More than a face: a unified theoretical perspective on nonverbal social cue processing in social anxiety. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:904. [PMID: 24427129 PMCID: PMC3876460 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2013] [Accepted: 12/10/2013] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Processing of nonverbal social cues (NVSCs) is essential to interpersonal functioning and is particularly relevant to models of social anxiety. This article provides a review of the literature on NVSC processing from the perspective of social rank and affiliation biobehavioral systems (ABSs), based on functional analysis of human sociality. We examine the potential of this framework for integrating cognitive, interpersonal, and evolutionary accounts of social anxiety. We argue that NVSCs are uniquely suited to rapid and effective conveyance of emotional, motivational, and trait information and that various channels are differentially effective in transmitting such information. First, we review studies on perception of NVSCs through face, voice, and body. We begin with studies that utilized information processing or imaging paradigms to assess NVSC perception. This research demonstrated that social anxiety is associated with biased attention to, and interpretation of, emotional facial expressions (EFEs) and emotional prosody. Findings regarding body and posture remain scarce. Next, we review studies on NVSC expression, which pinpointed links between social anxiety and disturbances in eye gaze, facial expressivity, and vocal properties of spontaneous and planned speech. Again, links between social anxiety and posture were understudied. Although cognitive, interpersonal, and evolutionary theories have described different pathways to social anxiety, all three models focus on interrelations among cognition, subjective experience, and social behavior. NVSC processing and production comprise the juncture where these theories intersect. In light of the conceptualizations emerging from the review, we highlight several directions for future research including focus on NVSCs as indexing reactions to changes in belongingness and social rank, the moderating role of gender, and the therapeutic opportunities offered by embodied cognition to treat social anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Gilboa-Schechtman
- Department of Psychology, The Gonda Brain Science Center, Bar-Ilan University Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Iris Shachar-Lavie
- Department of Psychology, The Gonda Brain Science Center, Bar-Ilan University Ramat Gan, Israel
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Geniole SN, McCormick CM. Taking Control of Aggression: Perceptions of Aggression Suppress the Link between Perceptions of Facial Masculinity and Attractiveness. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1177/147470491301100507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Women's preferences for masculine-looking male faces are inconsistent across studies, with some studies finding a positive relationship between masculinity and attractiveness and others finding a negative relationship or no association. One possible reason for this inconsistency is that the perception of masculinity is also associated with perceptions of aggression, which may be viewed as particularly costly to women (aggressive individuals are more likely to experience injury or death). Based on the proposal that women's preference for masculinity is in conflict with their aversion for aggression in male faces, we hypothesized that the bivariate associations between perceptions of masculinity and attractiveness would be weak or negative, but would be positive and significantly stronger after controlling statistically for perceptions of aggression. Across three studies involving three sets of faces ( n = 25, 54, 24) and five sets of raters ( n = 29, 30, 26, 16, 10), this hypothesis was supported with the average correlation between perceptions of masculinity and attractiveness ( r = −.09) reversing in direction and substantially increasing in magnitude after perceptions of aggression were controlled statistically ( r = .35). Perceived masculinity may thus involve both attractive and unattractive components, and women's preferences for masculinity may involve weighing its relative costs and benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn N. Geniole
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON,
Canada
| | - Cheryl M. McCormick
- Department of Psychology and the Centre for Neuroscience, Brock University,
St. Catharines, ON, Canada
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42
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Alrajih S, Ward J. Increased facial width-to-height ratio and perceived dominance in the faces of the UK's leading business leaders. Br J Psychol 2013; 105:153-61. [PMID: 24754804 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2012] [Revised: 03/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The relative proportion of the internal features of a face (the facial width-to-height ratio, FWH) has been shown to be related to individual differences in behaviour in males, specifically competitiveness and aggressiveness. In this study, we show that the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the leading UK businesses have greater FWHs than age- and sex-matched controls. We demonstrate that perceivers, naive as to the nature of the stimuli, rate the faces of CEOs as higher in dominance or success, and that ratings of dominance or success are themselves correlated with the FWH ratio. We find no association with other inferred traits such as trustworthiness, attraction or aggression. The latter is surprising given previous research demonstrating a link between FWH and ratings of aggression. We speculate that the core association may be between FWH and drive for dominance or power, but this can be interpreted as aggression only in particular circumstances (e.g., when the stimuli are comprised of faces of young, as opposed to middle-aged, men).
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuaa Alrajih
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
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43
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Loehr J, O'Hara RB. Facial morphology predicts male fitness and rank but not survival in Second World War Finnish soldiers. Biol Lett 2013; 9:20130049. [PMID: 23658003 PMCID: PMC3730618 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2013.0049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated fitness, military rank and survival of facial phenotypes in large-scale warfare using 795 Finnish soldiers who fought in the Winter War (1939–1940). We measured facial width-to-height ratio—a trait known to predict aggressive behaviour in males—and assessed whether facial morphology could predict survival, lifetime reproductive success (LRS) and social status. We found no difference in survival along the phenotypic gradient, however, wider-faced individuals had greater LRS, but achieved a lower military rank.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Loehr
- Lammi Biological Station, University of Helsinki, Lammi 16900, Finland.
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Hehman E, Leitner JB, Deegan MP, Gaertner SL. Facial Structure Is Indicative of Explicit Support for Prejudicial Beliefs. Psychol Sci 2013; 24:289-96. [DOI: 10.1177/0956797612451467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
We present three studies examining whether male facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) is correlated with racial prejudice and whether observers are sensitive to fWHR when assessing prejudice in other people. Our results indicate that males with a greater fWHR are more likely to explicitly endorse racially prejudicial beliefs, though fWHR was unrelated to implicit bias. Participants evaluated targets with a greater fWHR as more likely to be prejudiced and accurately evaluated the degree to which targets reported prejudicial attitudes. Finally, compared with majority-group members, racial-minority participants reported greater motivation to accurately evaluate prejudice. This motivation mediated the relationship between minority- or majority-group membership and the accuracy of evaluations of prejudice, which indicates that motivation augments sensitivity to fWHR. Together, the results of these three studies demonstrate that fWHR is a reliable indicator of explicitly endorsed racial prejudice and that observers can use fWHR to accurately assess another person’s explicit prejudice.
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45
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Carré JM, Murphy KR, Hariri AR. What lies beneath the face of aggression? Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2013; 8:224-9. [PMID: 22198969 PMCID: PMC3575726 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsr096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2011] [Accepted: 11/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence indicates that a sexually dimorphic feature of humans, the facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR), is positively correlated with reactive aggression, particularly in men. Also, predictions about the aggressive tendencies of others faithfully map onto FWHR in the absence of explicit awareness of this metric. Here, we provide the first evidence that amygdala reactivity to social signals of interpersonal challenge may underlie the link between aggression and the FWHR. Specifically, amygdala reactivity to angry faces was positively correlated with aggression, but only among men with relatively large FWHRs. The patterns of association were specific to angry facial expressions and unique to men. These links may reflect the common influence of pubertal testosterone on craniofacial growth and development of neural circuitry underlying aggression. Amygdala reactivity may also represent a plausible pathway through which FWHR may have evolved to represent an honest indicator of conspecific threat, namely by reflecting the responsiveness of neural circuitry mediating aggressive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin M Carré
- Laboratory of NeuroGenetics, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
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Barbalat G, Rouault M, Bazargani N, Shergill S, Blakemore SJ. The influence of prior expectations on facial expression discrimination in schizophrenia. Psychol Med 2012; 42:2301-2311. [PMID: 22405480 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291712000384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Belief inflexibility is a thinking style observed in patients with schizophrenia, in which patients tend to refute evidence that runs counter to their prior beliefs. This bias has been related to a dominance of prior expectations (prior beliefs) over incoming sensory evidence. In this study we investigated the reliance on prior expectations for the processing of emotional faces in schizophrenia. METHOD Eighteen patients with schizophrenia and 18 healthy controls were presented with sequences of emotional (happy, fearful, angry or neutral) faces. Perceptual decisions were biased towards a particular expression by a specific instruction at the start of each sequence, referred to as the context in which stimuli occurred. Participants were required to judge the emotion on each face and the effect of the context on emotion discrimination was investigated. RESULTS For threatening emotions (anger and fear), there was a performance cost for facial expressions that were incongruent with, and perceptually close to, the expression named in the instruction. For example, for angry faces, participants in both groups made more errors and reaction times (RTs) were longer when they were asked to look out for fearful faces compared with the other contexts. This bias against sensory evidence that runs counter to prior information was stronger in the patients, evidenced by a group by context interaction in accuracy and RTs for anger and fear respectively. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the present data suggest an overdependence on prior expectations for threatening stimuli, reflecting belief inflexibility, in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Barbalat
- UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, London, UK
| | - M Rouault
- Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France
| | - N Bazargani
- UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, London, UK
| | - S Shergill
- Department of Psychiatry, Downing Site, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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47
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Male facial width is associated with death by contact violence: narrow-faced males are more likely to die from contact violence. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2012.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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48
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Xu F, Wu D, Toriyama R, Ma F, Itakura S, Lee K. Similarities and differences in Chinese and Caucasian adults' use of facial cues for trustworthiness judgments. PLoS One 2012; 7:e34859. [PMID: 22514680 PMCID: PMC3325928 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2011] [Accepted: 03/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background All cultural groups in the world place paramount value on interpersonal trust. Existing research suggests that although accurate judgments of another's trustworthiness require extensive interactions with the person, we often make trustworthiness judgments based on facial cues on the first encounter. However, little is known about what facial cues are used for such judgments and what the bases are on which individuals make their trustworthiness judgments. Methodology/Principal Findings In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that individuals may use facial attractiveness cues as a “shortcut” for judging another's trustworthiness due to the lack of other more informative and in-depth information about trustworthiness. Using data-driven statistical models of 3D Caucasian faces, we compared facial cues used for judging the trustworthiness of Caucasian faces by Caucasian participants who were highly experienced with Caucasian faces, and the facial cues used by Chinese participants who were unfamiliar with Caucasian faces. We found that Chinese and Caucasian participants used similar facial cues to judge trustworthiness. Also, both Chinese and Caucasian participants used almost identical facial cues for judging trustworthiness and attractiveness. Conclusions/Significance The results suggest that without opportunities to interact with another person extensively, we use the less racially specific and more universal attractiveness cues as a “shortcut” for trustworthiness judgments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fen Xu
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
- * E-mail: (FX); (DW); (KL)
| | - Dingcheng Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (FX); (DW); (KL)
| | - Rie Toriyama
- Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Fengling Ma
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shoji Itakura
- Department of Psychology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kang Lee
- Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (FX); (DW); (KL)
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49
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Body weight, not facial width-to-height ratio, predicts aggression in pro hockey players. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2012.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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50
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Short LA, Mondloch CJ, McCormick CM, Carré JM, Ma R, Fu G, Lee K. Detection of Propensity for Aggression based on Facial Structure Irrespective of Face Race. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2012; 33:121-129. [PMID: 22611331 PMCID: PMC3352668 DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2011.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
The human face provides a wealth of information pertaining to the internal state and life-stage history of an individual. Facial width-to-height ratio is a size-independent sexually dimorphic trait, and estimates of aggression made by untrained adults judging own-race faces were positively associated with both facial width-to-height ratio and actual aggressive behavior. Given the significant adaptive value of accurately detecting aggressiveness based on facial appearance, we hypothesized that aggression estimates made by adults and 8-year-olds would be highly correlated with male facial width-to-height ratio even for a face category with which they had minimal experience-other-race faces. For each of the four race and age groups, estimates of aggression were positively correlated with facial width-to-height ratio irrespective of rating own-or other-race faces. Overall, the correlations between facial width-to-height ratio and ratings of aggression were stronger for adults than for children. Sensitivity to facial width-to-height ratio appears to be part of an evolved mechanism designed to detect threats in the external environment. This mechanism is likely broadly tuned and functions independently of experience.
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