The Perception of Action Versus Feeling in Facial Expression

Abstract

After an exhaustive and critical review of studies of facial expression Ekman, Friesen and Ellsworth (1972) concluded that there were seven emotions that could be reliably identified. The seven emotions were Happiness, Surprise, Fear, Sadness, Anger, Disgust/Contempt and Interest. In their own strictly empirical studies Ekman and co-workers have substantiated and minutely delineated the specific expressions for these emotional categories. What they have not done is explain why these particular facial movements and postures are associated with their corresponding emotional states and feelings. In a review and analysis of the perception of emotion in faces Salzen (1981) used ethological evidence and theory to provide an explanation of affective expressions in terms of incipient or thwarted actions and action states. In essence Salzen identified eight classes of behavioural actions representing functional states that may occur in all possible types of motivational state or arousal. These actions, which include facial actions to varying extents, can be equated in an heuristic oversimplification with eight emotions for which these actions are the basic but not the exclusive action tendencies. Table 1 is revised version of the original tabulations by Salzen (1981) of the hypothetical corresponding Actions states, Facial actions, and Emotional states.