Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T04:25:35.338Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Spontaneous and posed facial expression in Parkinson's Disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2009

Marcia C. Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
Melissa K. Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130
Heiner Ellgring
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

Abstract

Spontaneous and posed emotional facial expressions in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD, n – 12) were compared with those of healthy age-matched controls (n = 12). The intensity and amount of facial expression in PD patients were expected to be reduced for spontaneous but not posed expressions. Emotional stimuli were video clips selected from films, 2–5 min in duration, designed to elicit feelings of happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, or anger. Facial movements were coded using Ekman and Friesen's (1978) Facial Action Coding System (FACS). In addition, participants rated their emotional experience on 9-point Likert scales. The PD group showed significantly less overall facial reactivity than did controls when viewing the films. The predicted Group X Condition (spontaneous vs. posed) interaction effect on smile intensity was found when PD participants with more severe disease were compared with those with milder disease and with controls. In contrast, ratings of emotional experience were similar for both groups. Depression was positively associated with emotion ratings, but not with measures of facial activity. Spontaneous facial expression appears to be selectively affected in PD, whereas posed expression and emotional experience remain relatively intact. (JINS, 1996, 2, 383–391.)

Type
Research Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Allport, F.H. (1924). Social psychology. Boston: Houghton MifflinGoogle Scholar
Borod, J.C. (1993). Cerebral mechanisms underlying facial, prosodic, and lexical emotional expression: A review of neuropsychological studies and methodological issues. Neuropsychology, 7, 445463.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borod, J.C., Welkowitz, I., Alpert, M., Brozgold, A.Z., Martin, C., Peselow, E., & Diller, L. (1990). Parameters of emotional processing in neuropsychiatric disorders: Conceptual issues and a battery of tests. Journal of Communication Disorders, 23, 247271.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buck, R. & Duffy, R. (1980). Nonverbal communication of affect in brain-damaged patients. Cortex, 16, 351362.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Camras, L., Holland, E., & Patterson, M. (1993). Facial expression. In Lewis, M. & Haviland, J. (Eds.), Handbook of emotions (pp. 199208). New York: The Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Dimberg, U. & Lundquist, L.-O. (1990). Gender differences in facial reactions to facial expressions. Biological Psychology, 30, 151159.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ekman, P. (1989). The argument and evidence out universals in facial expressions of emotion. In Wagner, H. & Manstead, A. (Eds.), Handbook of psychophysiology: The biological psychology of emotions and social processes (pp. 143164). London: John Wiley Ltd.Google Scholar
Ekman, P. (1994). Strong evidence for universals in facial expressions: A reply to Russell's mistaken critique. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 268287.Google Scholar
Ekman, P. & Friesen, W. (1978). Facial action coding system. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.Google Scholar
Ekman, P. & Friesen, W. (1982). Felt, false and miserable smiles. Journal of Nonverbal Behaviour, 6, 238252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ekman, P., Hager, J.C., & Friesen, W.V. (1981). The symmetry of emotional and deliberate facial actions. Psychophysiology, 18, 101106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Folstein, M.F., Folstein, S.E., & McHugh, P.R. (1975). “Minimental state”: A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12, 189198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gross, J.J., & Levenson, R.W. (1995). Emotion elicitation using films. Cognition and Emotion, 9, 87108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoehn, M.M., & Yahr, M.D. (1967). Parkinsonism: Onset, progression, and mortality. Neurology, 17, 427442.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hopf, H.C., Müller-Forell, W, & Hopf, N.J. (1992). Localization of emotional and volitional facial paresis. Neurology, 42, 1918–1923.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hughes, A., Daniel, S., & Lees, A. (1993). The clinical features of Parkinson's disease in 100 histologically proven cases. Advances in Neurology, 60, 595697.Google ScholarPubMed
Izard, C. (1990). Facial expressions and the regulation of emotions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 487498.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Izard, C. (1993). Four systems for emotion activation: Cognitive and noncognitive processes. Psychological Review, 100, 6890CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Katsikitis, M. & Pilowsky, I. (1988). A study of facial expression in Parkinson's disease using a novel microcomputer-based method. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 51, 362366.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Katsikitis, M. & Pilowsky, I. (1991). A controlled study of facial expression in Parkinson's disease and depression. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 179, 683688.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levin, B.E., Llabre, M.M., & Weiner, W.J. (1988). Psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory. Journal of Neurology. Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 51, 14011404.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Noller, P. (1984). Nonverbal communication and marital interaction. Elmsford, NY: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Pentland, B., Pitcairn, T., Gray, J., & Riddle, W. (1987). The effects of reduced expression in Parkinson's disease on impresssion formation by health professionals. Clinical Rehabilitation, 1, 307313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Philippot, P. (1993). Inducing and assessing differentiated emotion-feeling states in the laboratory. Cognition and Emotion, 7, 171193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pitcairn, T., Clemie, S., Gray, J., & Pentland, B. (1990). Nonverbal cues in the self-presentation of Parkinsonian patients. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 29, 177184.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Riggio, R. & Friedman, H. (1986). Impression formation: The role of expressive behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 421427.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rinn, W. (1984). The neuropsychology of facial expression: A review of the neurological and psychological mechanisms for producing facial expressions. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 5277.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ruch, W. (1995). Will the real relationship between facial expression and affective experience please stand up: The case of exhilaration. Cognition and Emotion, 9, 3358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Spaendonck, K., Berger, H., Horstink, M., Buytenhuijs, E., & Cools, A. (1994). Executive functions and disease characteristics in Parkinson's disease. Manuscript in preparation.Google Scholar