Facial Expressions Recognition in Photographs, Drawings, and Emoticons

Abstract

Results of previous studies point to the importance of different face parts for certain emotion recognition, and also show that emotions are better recognized in photographs than in caricatures of faces. Therefore, the aim of the study was to examine the accuracy of recognizing facial expression of emotions in relation to the type of emotion and the type of visual presentations. Stimuli contained facial expressions, shown as a photograph, face drawing, or as an emoticon. The task for the participant was to click on the emotion he thought was shown on the stimulus. As factors, the type of displayed emotion varied (happiness, sorrow, surprise, anger, disgust, fear), as well as the type of visual presentation (photo of a human face, a drawing of a human face and an emoticon). As the dependent variable, we used the number of accurately recognized facial expressions in all 18 situations. The results showed that there is an interaction of the type of emotion being evaluated and the type of visual presentation, F(10; 290) = 10.55, p < .01, ŋ2 = .27. The facial expression of fear was most accurately assessed in the drawing of the human face. Emotion of sorrow was most accurately recognized in the assessment of emoticon, and the expression of disgust was recognized worst on the emoticon. Other expressions of emotions were equally well assessed independently of the type of visual presentation. The type of visual presentation has proven to be important for recognizing some emoticons, but not for all of them.