Visual search for emotional expressions: Effect of stimulus set on anger and happiness superiority

Prior reports of preferential detection of emotional expressions in visual search have yielded inconsistent results, even for face stimuli that avoid obvious expression-related perceptual confounds. The current study investigated inconsistent reports of anger and happiness superiority effects using...

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Main Authors: Savage, R., Becker, S., Lipp, Ottmar
Format: Journal Article
Published: Routledge 2015
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/25285
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author Savage, R.
Becker, S.
Lipp, Ottmar
author_facet Savage, R.
Becker, S.
Lipp, Ottmar
author_sort Savage, R.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Prior reports of preferential detection of emotional expressions in visual search have yielded inconsistent results, even for face stimuli that avoid obvious expression-related perceptual confounds. The current study investigated inconsistent reports of anger and happiness superiority effects using face stimuli drawn from the same database. Experiment 1 excluded procedural differences as a potential factor, replicating a happiness superiority effect in a procedure that previously yielded an anger superiority effect. Experiments 2a and 2b confirmed that image colour or poser gender did not account for prior inconsistent findings. Experiments 3a and 3b identified stimulus set as the critical variable, revealing happiness or anger superiority effects for two partially overlapping sets of face stimuli. The current results highlight the critical role of stimulus selection for the observation of happiness or anger superiority effects in visual search even for face stimuli that avoid obvious expression related perceptual confounds and are drawn from a single database.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-252852017-09-13T15:20:00Z Visual search for emotional expressions: Effect of stimulus set on anger and happiness superiority Savage, R. Becker, S. Lipp, Ottmar Prior reports of preferential detection of emotional expressions in visual search have yielded inconsistent results, even for face stimuli that avoid obvious expression-related perceptual confounds. The current study investigated inconsistent reports of anger and happiness superiority effects using face stimuli drawn from the same database. Experiment 1 excluded procedural differences as a potential factor, replicating a happiness superiority effect in a procedure that previously yielded an anger superiority effect. Experiments 2a and 2b confirmed that image colour or poser gender did not account for prior inconsistent findings. Experiments 3a and 3b identified stimulus set as the critical variable, revealing happiness or anger superiority effects for two partially overlapping sets of face stimuli. The current results highlight the critical role of stimulus selection for the observation of happiness or anger superiority effects in visual search even for face stimuli that avoid obvious expression related perceptual confounds and are drawn from a single database. 2015 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/25285 10.1080/02699931.2015.1027663 Routledge fulltext
spellingShingle Savage, R.
Becker, S.
Lipp, Ottmar
Visual search for emotional expressions: Effect of stimulus set on anger and happiness superiority
title Visual search for emotional expressions: Effect of stimulus set on anger and happiness superiority
title_full Visual search for emotional expressions: Effect of stimulus set on anger and happiness superiority
title_fullStr Visual search for emotional expressions: Effect of stimulus set on anger and happiness superiority
title_full_unstemmed Visual search for emotional expressions: Effect of stimulus set on anger and happiness superiority
title_short Visual search for emotional expressions: Effect of stimulus set on anger and happiness superiority
title_sort visual search for emotional expressions: effect of stimulus set on anger and happiness superiority
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/25285