FUNDING
Undergraduate Category:
Social Sciences, Business and Law
Degree Level: Undergraduate
Abstract ID# 729
This research was supported by the U.S. Army
Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social
Sciences (contract number W5J9CQ-11-R-0017).
The views, opinions, and/or findings contained in
this paper are those of the authors and shall not be
construed as an official Department of the Army
position, policy, or decision, unless so designated
by other documents.
RESULTS
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT:
UNSEEN EMOTIONAL IMAGES INFLUENCE TRAIT RATINGS AND PHYSIOLOGY
Levitsky, K., Bogdan, K., Burkins, B., Guitroz, T., Smith, B., Sears, L., Kopec, J., Wormwood, J.B., Siegel, E.H., Quigley, K., & Barrett, L.F.
ABSTRACT
Past research has demonstrated that affective or emotional images presented outside of conscious awareness can
influence personality trait ratings. It is assumed that changes in feelings drive these first impressions, but research
has yet to directly investigate this. We explored this question by recording physiological measures associated with
changes in affect. A mirror stereoscope was used to present neutral faces to one eye and emotional faces (smiling,
scowling, or neutral) to the other eye simultaneously. A technique called Continuous Flash Suppression (CFS) was
used to render the emotional faces invisible, making the viewer consciously aware of the neutral face alone.
Participants then rated each seen neutral face on various personality traits while we recorded physiological activity.
As hypothesized, seen neutral faces paired with unseen smiling faces were rated significantly more likable,
trustworthy, and reliable than those paired with unseen neutral or scowling faces. Results revealed significantly
greater facial muscle activation associated with unpleasantness in response to unseen scowling faces compared to
unseen smiling or neutral faces. We also saw significantly increased heart rate in response to unseen smiling faces
compared to unseen scowling or neutral faces, suggesting greater arousal on these trials. These findings suggest
that feedback from our bodies in response to unconscious affective information may be influencing our feelings,
making neutral objects in our environment appear more positive or negative. This information could be particularly
important in real-world situations such as when detectives evaluate cases, when teachers grade papers, or the
impression you get on a first date.
INTRODUCTION
● Affective Realism is a phenomenon in which people infuse objects in the
world with affective meaning, literally viewing them as positive or negative
(i.e. food is viewed as delicious or disgusting; people are viewed as likable
or unlikable). People construct their realities in this way and experience
these as facts, instead of feelings (Anderson et al., 2012).
● To test affective realism in the lab, we use Continuous Flash Suppression
(CFS, Tsuchiya & Koch, 2005), a vision technique that allows us to present
dynamic visual images to one eye while simultaneously presenting low
contrast images to the other eye, which are suppressed from
consciousness.
● Using CFS, past research has shown that people view seen neutral faces as
more likable, competent, and trustworthy when paired with unseen smiling
faces than unseen scowling faces (Anderson et al., 2012; Kring et al. 2014).
● However, past research has not examined whether these unseen faces
actually change how people feel. To test this in the current study, we
measured physiological indices of positive feelings (valence) and activation
(arousal) in addition to behavioral responses.
METHOD
•N = 63 (age 18-55).
•Established eye dominance.
•Calibrated the mirror
stereoscope (see Figure 1).
•Measured physiological
responses associated with
valence (corrugator and
zygomaticus facial muscles)
and arousal (IBI and
respiration) (see Figure 2)
while participants completed
the following tasks:
Task 2 – Trait Rating Task
•Participants were shown neutral faces and flashing
Mondrian images in their dominant eye that they were
consciously aware of.
•They were simultaneously shown scowling, neutral, or
smiling faces in their non-dominant eye, which they were
not consciously aware of (see Figure 3).
•They rated each seen neutral face on trustworthiness,
likability, and reliability on 5-point scales.
Task 3 – Objective Awareness Check
● Arousal: Unseen smiling and scowling faces will increase physiological
arousal such that respiration rate will increase and Inter-beat Interval (IBI,
the amount of time between heart beats) will decrease.
500ms
100ms
100ms
100ms
100ms
100ms
100ms
500ms
+
Mondrian
#1
Face
Mondrian
#2
Face
Mondrian
#1
Mondrian
#2
Backward
Mask
Dominant Eye
● Valence: Unseen scowling faces will significantly increase negative feelings
and thus increase activation of the Corrugator Supercilii (scowl muscle).
Unseen smiling faces will significantly increase positive feelings and thus
increase activation of the Zygomaticus Major (smile muscle) .
Figure 2. Physiology
Hook-ups
Task 1 – Individual Contrast Adjustment
Suppressed Eye
● Behavioral: Seen neutral faces paired with unseen smiling faces will be rated
as more trustworthy, reliable and likable than seen neutral faces paired with
unseen scowling faces .
● There was significantly more
corrugator (scowl) activation when
seen neutral faces were paired with
unseen scowling faces compared to
unseen neutral faces (p<.05), and
marginally
more
activation
compared to unseen smiling faces
(p=.09) (see Figure 5).
Figure 1. Stereoscope
PREDICTIONS
● Seen neutral faces paired with
unseen smiling faces were rated as
significantly more trustworthy than
seen neutral faces paired with both
unseen neutral (p<.05) and scowling
faces (p<.05) (see Figure 4). Ratings
of likeability and reliability yielded
similar results.
● There was a significant decrease in
IBI for trials with unseen smiling
faces compared to trials with
unseen neutral (p<.05) or scowling
faces (p<.05) (see Figure 6).
Figure 4. Average trustworthy ratings of seen neutral
faces with the presentation of unseen smiling, neutral
or scowling faces, F(2,62)=5.01, p<.05.
Figure 5. Average corrugator activity with the
presentation of unseen smiling, neutral or scowling
faces, F(2,56)=4.34, p<.05.
● Zygomaticus activity and respiration
did not yield significant differences
between unseen face types; F<1.
DISCUSSION
Figure 6. Average IBI with the presentation of unseen
smiling, neutral or scowling faces, F(2,58) = 4.08, p<.05.
● Behavioral results supported our prediction that unseen affective faces would
effect evaluations of seen neutral faces’ likeability, reliability, and trustworthiness.
● Physiological results partially supported our predictions that there would be
significant differences in activity associated with changes in valence and arousal
between trials with different unseen affective face types. We saw significant
increases in corrugator (scowl) activity on trials with unseen scowling faces,
suggesting more unpleasantness, and significantly shorter IBI on trials with unseen
smiling faces, indicating more arousal.
● These findings extend our understanding of affective realism. They offer the first
evidence that unconscious affective information influences bodily feelings, and
suggests they may play an important role in making neutral objects in the
environment appear more positive or negative.
● This information could be particularly important in real-world situations such as
when detectives evaluate cases, when teachers grade papers, or the impression
you get on a first date.
REFERENCES
Figure 3. CFS Trial Structure
Anderson, E., Siegel, E.H., White, D., & Barrett, L.F. (2012). Out of sight but not out of mind: Unseen affective faces influence evaluations and
social impression. Emotion, 12, 1210-1221.
Kring, A.M., Siegel, E.H., & Barrett, L.F. (2014). Unseen affective faces influence person perception judgments in schizophrenia. Clinical
Psychological Science, 2(4), 443-454.
Tsuchiya, N., & Koch, C. (2005). Continuous flash suppression reduces negative afterimages. Nature Neuroscience, 8(8), 1096-1101.