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Facial expressions say more than a thousand words
October 16, 2008People talk to exchange information. Yet understanding another person involves far more than just the content of the message. Only with the correct intonation and facial expression does the message acquire meaning. People can improve their communication skills by deliberately managing these non-verbal messages.
The extra layer of information that you add to a message when speaking is called prosody. The most important conclusion is that prosody lies not only in the voice but also in the facial expression. Further it appears that auditory and visual information together are more effective than the same information separately.
That a text is more than a series of words becomes clear as soon as you read a story aloud, for example, Little Red Riding Hood. At the end of a sentence you drop your voice. The pitch of your voice also changes when the Wolf speaks. Certain words receive extra emphasis. For example, 'Grandmother, what a great mouth you have!' 'That is to eat you up!'. Not only do you use your voice to make the story frightening but your face adopts a frightening expression as well. When reading aloud you do that deliberately. Unconsciously, you do the same when talking to somebody.
Czech study subjects
Barkhuysen used different methods to distinguish the effect of the content and the other information. Czech study subjects were shown video clips with Dutch sentences such as 'God, I feel fantastic', or 'I want to sleep and never wake up again.' Some were shown both the images and the sound and others just the sound or the images. The Czechs could indicate in all cases whether the sentence had a positive or negative meaning. Research with Dutch study subjects revealed, for example, that people can both see and hear when somebody has finished speaking.
Margaret Thatcher
Research into prosody provides information about the interactions between speakers and listeners. That is relevant for the development of speech computers, such as the NS-reisplanner (Travel planner for the Dutch National Railways). It also explains certain communication problems. For example, some people are interrupted a lot. That is not due to a lack of domination. The former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was also regularly interrupted. The Iron Lady took no notice of this and carried on talking. Yet unconsciously she gave signals that she had finished speaking. One possible solution is to adjust the intonation and only to break eye contact when you have finished speaking.
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)
Czech study subjects
Barkhuysen used different methods to distinguish the effect of the content and the other information. Czech study subjects were shown video clips with Dutch sentences such as 'God, I feel fantastic', or 'I want to sleep and never wake up again.' Some were shown both the images and the sound and others just the sound or the images. The Czechs could indicate in all cases whether the sentence had a positive or negative meaning. Research with Dutch study subjects revealed, for example, that people can both see and hear when somebody has finished speaking.
Margaret Thatcher
Research into prosody provides information about the interactions between speakers and listeners. That is relevant for the development of speech computers, such as the NS-reisplanner (Travel planner for the Dutch National Railways). It also explains certain communication problems. For example, some people are interrupted a lot. That is not due to a lack of domination. The former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was also regularly interrupted. The Iron Lady took no notice of this and carried on talking. Yet unconsciously she gave signals that she had finished speaking. One possible solution is to adjust the intonation and only to break eye contact when you have finished speaking.
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)
Facial Expressions Current Events and Facial Expressions News RSSFacial expressions of emotion are innate, not learned, says new study
Facial expressions of emotion are hardwired into our genes, according to a study published today in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The research suggests that facial expressions of emotion are innate rather than a product of cultural learning.
Concordia University researcher develops image processing system that detects moods
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Dr. Prabir Bhattacharya and his computers might. He and Concordia graduate student Abu Sayeed Sohail are developing a computer image processing system that detects and classifies human facial expressions.
Oh, what a feeling!
People who have lost the ability to interpret emotion after a severe brain injury can regain this vital social skill by being re-educated to read body language, facial expressions and voice tone in others, according to a new study.
Pain automatically activates facial muscle groups
A study has found that people who facially express pain in a more intense way are not exaggerating if their perception of a painful stimulation is controlled.
New way to help schizophrenia sufferers' social skills
Researchers from the University of Newcastle are investigating a new way to help schizophrenia patients develop their communication and social skills.
A direct gaze enhances face perception
Gaze direction is significant for the processing of visual information from the human face. Researchers in an Academy of Finland funded research project have discovered that the visual system of the brain processes another person's face more efficiently when the person's gaze is straight ahead than when the gaze is averted.
Study finds connections between genetics, brain activity and preference
A team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has used brain imaging, genetics and experimental psychology techniques to identify a connection between brain reward circuitry, a behavioral measurement of preference and a gene variant that appears to influence both.
Context and personality key in understanding responses to emotional facial expressions
It is well appreciated that facial expressions play a major role in non-verbal social communication among humans and other primates, because faces provide rapid access to information about the identity as well as the internal states and intentions of others.
Caltech and UNC research finds further evidence for genetic contribution to autism
Some parents of children with autism evaluate facial expressions differently than the rest of us--and in a way that is strikingly similar to autistic patients themselves, according to new research by neuroscientist Ralph Adolphs of the California Institute of Technology and psychiatrist Joe Piven at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
UC San Diego computer scientist turns his face into a remote control
A computer science Ph.D. student can turn his face into a remote control that speeds and slows video playback. The proof-of-concept demonstration is part of a larger project to use automated facial expression recognition to make robots more effective teachers.
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