Kaiser, Jakob, Crespo-Llado, Maria Magdalena, Turati, Chiara et al. (1 more author) (2017) The development of spontaneous facial responses to others’ emotions in infancy. An EMG study. Scientific Reports. ISSN 2045-2322
Abstract
Viewing facial expressions often evokes facial responses in the observer. These spontaneous facial reactions (SFRs) are believed to play an important role for social interactions. However, their developmental trajectory and the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms are still little understood. In the current study, 4- and 7-month old infants were presented with facial expressions of happiness, anger, and fear. Electromyography (EMG) was used to measure activation in muscles relevant for forming these expressions: zygomaticus major (smiling), corrugator supercilii (frowning), and frontalis (forehead raising). The results indicated no selective activation of the facial muscles for the expressions in 4-month-old infants. For 7-month-old infants, evidence for selective facial reactions was found especially for happy faces (leading to increased zygomaticus major activation) and fearful faces (leading to increased frontalis activation), while angry faces did not show a clear differential response. This suggests that emotional SFRs may be the result of complex neurocognitive mechanisms which lead to partial mimicry but are also likely to be influenced by evaluative processes. Such mechanisms seem to undergo important developments at least until the second half of the first year of life.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2017 |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Psychology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 13 Dec 2017 10:30 |
Last Modified: | 16 Oct 2024 14:13 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-17556-y |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/s41598-017-17556-y |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:125231 |