Convergence: Connecting Levels of Analysis in Psychological Science
In the past, our field harbored distinct, and often competing, schools of thought that tackled different problems and produced findings that often appeared to diverge. Today, investigators attack shared problems at complementary levels of analysis and produce results that converge. Studies of people in a social world; mental systems of cognition and emotion; and biological mechanisms of the genome and the nervous system interconnect and yield an integrated psychological science. The APS 23rd Annual Convention displays, and celebrates, these advances in our field.

Symposium

Facial Behavior in Diverse Contexts: Emotion, Deception, and Psychopathology

Friday, May 25, 2012, 10:30 AM - 11:50 AM
Michigan

Chair: Erika L. Rosenberg
University of California, Davis

In psychological science, the study of facial behavior spans diverse areas. This symposium highlights findings from varied contexts: a deceptive situation, clinical interviews, and laboratory research on emotion. The researchers will conclude with a discussion of what studying the face has brought to the understanding of their sub-discipline in psychology.

Meditation and the Plasticity of Emotion: Facial Expression and the Unfolding of Emotional Responses to Suffering
Erika L. Rosenberg
University of California, Davis
Meditators, randomly assigned to an intensive three-month meditation intervention or a wait-list condition, viewed brief documentary films depicting scenes of human suffering and brutality. FACS-coded facial behavior revealed greater sadness in response to scenes of suffering in meditators than in controls. Among meditators, emotional flexibility increased with time spent in meditation.

Co-Author: Anthony Zanesco, University of California, Davis

Co-Author: Brandon King, University of California, Davis

Co-Author: Stephen Aichele, University of California, Davis

Co-Author: Tonya Jacobs, University of California, Davis

Co-Author: David Bridwell, Mind Research Network

Co-Author: Katherine MacLean, Johns Hopkins University

Co-Author: Phillip Shaver, University of California, Davis

Co-Author: Emilio Ferrer, University of California, Davis

Co-Author: Baljinder Sahdra, University of Western Sydney, Australia

Co-Author: Alan Walla, Santa Barbara Institute of Consciousness Studies

Co-Author: Clifford Saron, University of California, Davis

Facial Expression Communicates Change in Symptom Severity of Depression
Jeffrey F. Cohn
University of Pittsburgh
Facial expression differs markedly between depressed and nondepressed persons. Does it vary as well with severity of depression over course of treatment? To answer this question, we used both perceptual judgment and FACS-coding in outpatients with depression. Facial expression and specific actions were strongly related to severity of depression.

Co-Author: Dean Rosenwald, University of Pittsburgh

Co-Author: Jeff Girard, University of Pittsburgh

Individual Differences in Facial Expression in a Deception Paradigm
Gregory P. Shelley
Kutztown University
Participants with cooperative, individualistic, and competitive social value orientations were videotaped while lying about their views on controversial social issues. Naïve observers rated their believability after viewing video-only portions of these lies. Results from full FACS-coding help account for the differential ratings.

Co-Author: Kayla Montgomery, Kutztown University

Co-Author: Kelly McGheen, Kutztown University

Co-Author: Meghan Gladu, Kutztown University

Jeffrey F. Cohn (Discussant)
University of Pittsburgh

Subject Area: Personality/Emotion