The rise in facial recognition technologies is now accompanied by the emergence of emotion detection technology, a growing industry. Amazon, for instance, announced this fall that its facial recognition algorithms can detect fear. Scientists dispute the claim and are pushing back against the assumption that facial expressions are a window into one’s thoughts and feelings. The longstanding hypothesis that six universal facial expressions – disgust, sadness, happiness, fear, anger, and surprise – directly broadcast emotional states continues to be cited in introductory psychology textbooks and news articles. More recently, the theory has been called into doubt by a growing body of scientific research. Seth Pollak will share findings that show how children of preschool and elementary school age rely as much on context clues as on someone’s facial movements to infer a person’s feelings, challenging the notion that facial expression recognition is hardwired. Lisa Feldman Barrett will present a growing body of research that challenges the idea that facial expressions of emotion are universal across cultures. She will explore the tremendous cultural diversity in how facial movements convey emotions as well as the ethical and legal implications that arise when such cultural contexts are ignored. Aleix Martinez will review factors beyond facial movements that people use to infer various emotions. He will address how artificial intelligence incorporates and analyzes such variables to infer emotional states. Martinez will share AI advancements that can identify whether a person performs an action intentionally or accidentally, information that can inform legal guidelines that account for intentions.
Seth Pollak, professor of psychology, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Probabilistic Learning of Emotional Categories in Children
Lisa Feldman Barrett, professor of psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, Mass.
Perceiving Emotion in Facial Movements Across Cultures
Aleix Martinez, professor of electrical and computer engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus
Recognizing Emotional Expressions in the Wild
