Perception of Facially Expressed Emotions of People With Visual Disabilities, Including Intensity
Hyung Nam Kim, Imonkhae Ugboya, Vincent OgunmwonyiIntroduction:
People convey information, including emotions, through various channels such as nonverbal vocalizations, language, prosody, and chemosensory signals. Moreover, facial expressions greatly contribute to this process. This study aimed to advance knowledge about the degree to which sighted people can be educated to improve the ability to accurately recognize facial expressions among people with visual disabilities, depending on media (images and videos).
Methods:
A convenience sample of 43 sighted participants was exposed to facial expression images and videos. They were asked to identify emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise) before and after receiving education based on facial expression modeling from a prior study. Congruence ratios were measured to assess accuracy in recognizing emotions, along with the perceived intensity of the emotions.
Results:
The study found that education significantly improved congruence in recognizing emotions in both images and videos, with most emotions showing enhanced accuracy. Education also increased the perceived intensity of emotions, potentially facilitating easier recognition.
Discussion:
These results suggest that education can improve the ability of sighted individuals to recognize facial expressions, potentially enhancing communication with individuals who have visual disabilities.
Implications for Practitioners:
Improved recognition of facial expressions could enhance communication between individuals with and without visual disabilities, fostering greater understanding and inclusion. Practitioners can use these findings to develop training programs that improve emotional recognition, contributing to more effective interpersonal interactions and stronger relationships in diverse settings.