Kaiser Jakob, Davey Graham C L, Parkhouse Thomas, Meeres Jennifer, Scott Ryan B
School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QH, UK.
School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QH, UK.
Int J Psychophysiol. 2016 Dec;110:207-211. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.07.504. Epub 2016 Jul 22.
Do facial expressions of emotion influence us when not consciously perceived? Methods to investigate this question have typically relied on brief presentation of static images. In contrast, real facial expressions are dynamic and unfold over several seconds. Recent studies demonstrate that gaze contingent crowding (GCC) can block awareness of dynamic expressions while still inducing behavioural priming effects. The current experiment tested for the first time whether dynamic facial expressions presented using this method can induce unconscious facial activation. Videos of dynamic happy and angry expressions were presented outside participants' conscious awareness while EMG measurements captured activation of the zygomaticus major (active when smiling) and the corrugator supercilii (active when frowning). Forced-choice classification of expressions confirmed they were not consciously perceived, while EMG revealed significant differential activation of facial muscles consistent with the expressions presented. This successful demonstration opens new avenues for research examining the unconscious emotional influences of facial expressions.
当情绪的面部表情未被有意识地察觉时，会对我们产生影响吗？研究这个问题的方法通常依赖于静态图像的短暂呈现。相比之下，真实的面部表情是动态的，会在几秒钟内展开。最近的研究表明，注视相关拥挤效应（GCC）可以在阻止对动态表情的意识的同时，仍然诱导行为启动效应。本实验首次测试了使用这种方法呈现的动态面部表情是否能诱发无意识的面部激活。动态的开心和愤怒表情视频在参与者的意识之外呈现，同时肌电图测量捕捉到了颧大肌（微笑时活跃）和皱眉肌（皱眉时活跃）的激活情况。表情的强制选择分类证实了它们未被有意识地察觉，而肌电图显示面部肌肉的激活存在显著差异，与所呈现的表情一致。这一成功的证明为研究面部表情的无意识情绪影响开辟了新的途径。
