Article Version of Record

A motivational determinant of facial emotion recognition: Regulatory focus affects recognition of emotions in faces.

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Sassenrath, C.
Sassenberg, K.
Ray, D.
Scheiter, K.
Jarodzka, H.

Other kind(s) of contributor

Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien

Abstract / Description

Two studies examined an unexplored motivational determinant of facial emotion recognition: observer regulatory focus. It was predicted that a promotion focus would enhance facial emotion recognition relative to a prevention focus because the attentional strategies associated with promotion focus enhance performance on well-learned or innate tasks - such as facial emotion recognition. In Study 1, a promotion or a prevention focus was experimentally induced and better facial emotion recognition was observed in a promotion focus compared to a prevention focus. In Study 2, individual differences in chronic regulatory focus were assessed and attention allocation was measured using eye tracking during the facial emotion recognition task. Results indicated that the positive relation between a promotion focus and facial emotion recognition is mediated by shorter fixation duration on the face which reflects a pattern of attention allocation matched to the eager strategy in a promotion focus (i.e., striving to make hits). A prevention focus did not have an impact neither on perceptual processing nor on facial emotion recognition. Taken together, these findings demonstrate important mechanisms and consequences of observer motivational orientation for facial emotion recognition.

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2014

Journal title

PLOS ONE

Volume

9(11): e112383

Publication status

publishedVersion

Review status

peerReviewed

Is version of

10.1371/journal.pone.0112383

Citation

  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Sassenrath, C.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Sassenberg, K.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Ray, D.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Scheiter, K.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Jarodzka, H.
  • Other kind(s) of contributor
    Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2017-08-28T11:11:26Z
  • Made available on
    2017-08-28T11:11:26Z
  • Date of first publication
    2014
  • Abstract / Description
    Two studies examined an unexplored motivational determinant of facial emotion recognition: observer regulatory focus. It was predicted that a promotion focus would enhance facial emotion recognition relative to a prevention focus because the attentional strategies associated with promotion focus enhance performance on well-learned or innate tasks - such as facial emotion recognition. In Study 1, a promotion or a prevention focus was experimentally induced and better facial emotion recognition was observed in a promotion focus compared to a prevention focus. In Study 2, individual differences in chronic regulatory focus were assessed and attention allocation was measured using eye tracking during the facial emotion recognition task. Results indicated that the positive relation between a promotion focus and facial emotion recognition is mediated by shorter fixation duration on the face which reflects a pattern of attention allocation matched to the eager strategy in a promotion focus (i.e., striving to make hits). A prevention focus did not have an impact neither on perceptual processing nor on facial emotion recognition. Taken together, these findings demonstrate important mechanisms and consequences of observer motivational orientation for facial emotion recognition.
  • Publication status
    publishedVersion
  • Review status
    peerReviewed
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/520
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.728
  • Is version of
    10.1371/journal.pone.0112383
  • Title
    A motivational determinant of facial emotion recognition: Regulatory focus affects recognition of emotions in faces.
  • DRO type
    article
  • Leibniz institute name(s) / abbreviation(s)
    IWM
  • Leibniz subject classification
    Psychologie
  • Journal title
    PLOS ONE
  • Volume
    9(11): e112383
  • Visible tag(s)
    Version of Record