Authors:

Richards, A., French, C.C., Young, A.W., CALDER, A.J., Webb, B. & Fox, R.

Reference:

Year of publication:

2002

CBU number:

5281

Abstract:

Two experiments are reported in which high and low socially anxious individuals classified the emotional expressions of photographic quality continua of interpolated (?morphed?) facial images. These faces were derived from combining six prototype emotion expressions to various degrees with the two adjacent emotions arranged in the following emotional hexagon: happiness, surprise, fear, sadness, disgust, and anger. So, for example, one continua combined happiness and surprise in the following proportions: 90% happiness-10% surprise, 70% happiness-30% surprise, 50% happiness-50% surprise, 30% happiness-70% surprise, 10% happiness-90% surprise. Each expression was classified by participants into one of the six emotions. High and low socially anxious individuals classified a higher number of faces as expressing fear and marginally fewer faces as expressing sadness. However, there were no differences between the groups in classifying the faces as expressing anger. Experiment 2 had the same basic design but with the addition of a mood manipulator. Again, social anxiety was associated with the classification of faces as expressing fear. However, it was also found that participants undergoing the negative mood manipulation classified a higher number of ambiguous expressions as displaying anger compared to the control condition. Social anxiety levels did not moderate these effects. The classification of expressions as fearful may be related to an empathic response in socially anxious individuals, whereas the classification of expressions as ?anger? may be prevalent in everyone when in a stressful situation.