Today I sold two hours of the remainder of my life for the grand sum of ten American dollars. We, the participants, were all visually and behaviorally seniors. The student who planned to write a thesis on the ultimate results of this study is probably paying for college by writing technical manuals, his unclear instructions fit the profile. We were shown video pictures, from 1 to 7 seconds, of a woman smiling (sometimes grimacing) and asked to rate whether the smile was spontaneous of posed. Since the same face might have been shown in succession, most of us (at some time) lost our place and asked that the researcher occasionally call out the line we were on. He did that...in 75 or more pictures he called out once, and then only when asked, proving that he listened to instructions as accurately as he gave them.
He seemed not to have grasped the requests from the first half and repeated in the same way. This time I realized I had lost my place when I was distracted by something, saw the same face and expression, thinking I had already seen it, and went off by one in successive answers until I asked what number we were on. The second portion was to rate the intensity of the smiles. It became clear that people were losing their place frequently. I can't imagine that any of us under those circumstances were even worth the $10.
Trying to figure out in a second whether a smile was spontaneous or posed is quite a challenge. It made me wonder what cues I use to decide. Length of time spent changing from smile to straight was one, eyes matching the smile or not was another. When someone's shoulders moved in laughter, I assumed that also was not posed. Glancing around me I instantly knew why it is so easy to misinterpret facial expressions. I suppose that makes life much harder for the hearing challenged. Online, not seeing the facial expression loads the opposite handicap. Thus emoticons were invented, though some people refuse to use them and then get angry when people don't realize they are joking.
Emotionless expressions on comedians make the absurd more intense. Clinically depressed people show little facial expression and often tell me they can't feel emotion. Context is missing in those pictures shown. I somehow doubt this student will end up with a Nobel prize and can only wish a passing grade for him. However, I asked for a copy of the results because I can't believe that what I saw and heard will end up with believable conclusions.
He seemed not to have grasped the requests from the first half and repeated in the same way. This time I realized I had lost my place when I was distracted by something, saw the same face and expression, thinking I had already seen it, and went off by one in successive answers until I asked what number we were on. The second portion was to rate the intensity of the smiles. It became clear that people were losing their place frequently. I can't imagine that any of us under those circumstances were even worth the $10.
Trying to figure out in a second whether a smile was spontaneous or posed is quite a challenge. It made me wonder what cues I use to decide. Length of time spent changing from smile to straight was one, eyes matching the smile or not was another. When someone's shoulders moved in laughter, I assumed that also was not posed. Glancing around me I instantly knew why it is so easy to misinterpret facial expressions. I suppose that makes life much harder for the hearing challenged. Online, not seeing the facial expression loads the opposite handicap. Thus emoticons were invented, though some people refuse to use them and then get angry when people don't realize they are joking.
Emotionless expressions on comedians make the absurd more intense. Clinically depressed people show little facial expression and often tell me they can't feel emotion. Context is missing in those pictures shown. I somehow doubt this student will end up with a Nobel prize and can only wish a passing grade for him. However, I asked for a copy of the results because I can't believe that what I saw and heard will end up with believable conclusions.
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