Thesis advisor: James A. Russell / The claim that certain emotions are universally recognized from facial expressions is based primarily on the study of expressions that were posed. The current study was of spontaneous facial expressions shown by aborigines in Papua New Guinea (Ekman, 1980) -- 18 faces claimed to convey one (or, in the case of blends, two) basic emotions and four faces claimed to show other universal feelings. For each face, ten samples of observers-- South Koreans speaking Korean (n=66), Spaniards speaking Spanish (n=54), Israelis speaking Hebrew (n=60), Chinese speaking English (n=83), Chinese speaking Cantonese (n=64), Japanese speaking English (n=71), Japanese speaking Japanese (n=72), Indians speaking English (n=65), Indians speaking Kannada (n=62), and Indians speaking Hindi (n=120)--rated the degree to which each of the 12 predicted emotions or feelings was conveyed. The modal choice across all ten samples of observers was the predicted label for only 2 (of the 22) faces, predicted to convey exclusively happiness. Observers endorsed the predicted emotion or feeling moderately often (mean=56%), but also denied it moderately often (mean=44%). They also endorsed more than one (or, for blends, two) label(s) in each face - on average, 1.8 of basic emotions and 3.7 of other feelings. There were both similarities and differences across culture and language, but the emotional meaning of a facial expression is not well captured by the predicted label(s) or, indeed, by any single label. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Psychology.

Expressing gratitude has a significant function in societal interaction. As Eisenstein and Bodman (1993) suggested, only when the function of gratitude is expressed appropriately can it ¡§engender feelings of warmth and solidarity among interlocutors¡¨ (p.167). However, compared with other widely discussed speech acts such as apology and request, the speech act of expressions of gratitude seldom drew researchers¡¦ attention. The present study hence focuses on investigating EFL (English as foreign language) learners¡¦ behavior in realizing expressions of gratitude on the basis of cross-cultural comparison of NS-Cs (Native speakers of Chinese) and NS-Es (Native speakers of English) in terms of perception and production performances. Data used for analysis cover 60 NS-E, 60 NS-C, and 60 EFL speakers¡¦ data elicited from Discourse-Completion-Task (DCT) questionnaire which consisted of 24 scenarios in which four contextual factors, comprising social distance, social status, gender of interlocutor and severity of the situation were embedded. Scale-Response questionnaire (SRQ) was designed to obtain two cultural groups¡¦ perception in terms of degree of imposition, degree of gratefulness, and likelihood of the expectation of benefactors. The EFL group was further categorized into two groups on the basis of proficiency level. Among each group, the number of male and female participants was even. The result of SRQ shows that both cultural groups generated the same tendency, that is, the greater imposition the informant felt s/he caused to the benefactor, the more grateful s/he felt and the more likely s/he thought the benefactor would expect receiving expressions of gratitude. NS-Es¡¦ perceptions on the likelihood of gratitude expectation and degree of imposition were significantly higher than NS-C group¡¦s. In terms of the contextual factors, NS-C participants were found to be more sensitive to relative social status while NS-E participants were more sensitive to relative social distance. The analysis of DCT data shows that NS-Cs and NS-Es generated similar strategies in gratitude-provoking situations and NS-E group generated greater amount of strategy use. Both groups generated more strategies and lengthier utterances in situations bearing greater imposition. EFL groups were found to generate similar strategy uses as the two cultural groups did. Accordingly, the occurrence of negative sociopragmatic transfer was rare while negative pragmalinguistic transfer was more observable. Some linguistic properties of transfer reflected the cultural orientation. Instead of pragmatic performance, proficiency level seemed to be influential in linguistic accuracy, amount of strategy use and length of utterances. The limitation of the study suggests future study conduct on natural utterances, oral DCT, introspective interview with the informants and further discussion on role-play data to get a more comprehensive understanding of the behavior of expressions of gratitude realized by NS-Cs, NS-Es and EFL learners.

Understanding the risk factors that contribute to sexual offending against children is an important topic for research. The present study set out to examine whether deficits in emotion recognition might contribute to sexual offending, by testing if child sexual offenders were impaired in their recognition of facial expressions of emotion, particularly with children, relative to non-offender controls. To do this, we tested 49 child sexual offenders and 46 non-offender controls on their ability to recognise facial expressions of emotion using photographs of both adults and children posing emotions from the Radboud Faces Database (Langner et al., 2010). We created continua along six emotion pairs (e.g. happiness-sadness) in 10% increments, from the emotions of sadness, anger, happiness, and fear, with morphing software. Using signal detection analyses, we found that across the emotion pairs, non-offenders were significantly better able to discriminate between emotions than offenders, although there were no significant differences within individual emotion pairs, and was not significant with either age or level of education as a covariate. When discriminating between fear and anger, non-offenders showed a significant bias towards labeling an emotion as fear when judging male faces, whereas offenders did not, and this difference remained significant with age, level of education and socioeconomic status as covariates. Additionally, both groups showed a strong bias towards labeling an emotion as anger when judging female faces. Thus sexual offenders were more likely to identify anger rather than fear with male faces, suggesting that sexual offenders lack an inhibition against recognising anger in males that non-offenders showed. Overall, contrary to our predictions, we found no evidence to indicate that child sexual offenders showed a specific deficit in their recognition of emotions in children. However, future research should continue to examine this area and its potential link to recidivism.

Background Suicide among young people is a global public health problem, but information on determinants and understanding of suicidal expressions are lacking in low and middle income countries (LMIC). Though school-based interventions are common in many parts of the world, evidence for efficacy is less reported, particularly from post-conflict countries. Aim To explore suicidal expressions and their determinants with psychosocial and gender perspective in Cambodia and Nicaragua and to evaluate a school based intervention to promote mental health and prevent suicidal behavior among young people in Cambodia. Method School students between the age of 15-19 from Cambodia and Nicaragua responded to Attitude Towards Suicide (ATTS) and Youth Self-Report (YSR) questionnaires. In addition, Life Skill Dimension Scale Adolescent Form (LSDS-AF) was used in schools in Cambodia, one experimental and the other control, to measure the impact of intervention. Six focus group discussions (FGDs), both gender-specific and mixed groups, were held to understand young people’s perception of gender, culture, religion and media and their impact on suicide among them. Results Paper I. Revealed few gender differences in suicidal expressions, except girls reporting more attempts than boys. Girls exposed to suicide among friends and partners were likely to report own suicidal expressions and girls with internalizing syndrome were at risk for suicidal expressions.    Paper II. Cambodian teenagers reported more mental health problems but fewer suicidal expressions as compared to Nicaragua. The determinants varied between countries.   Paper III. Participants of FGDs mentioned “Plue Plun” male and “Kath Klei” female to describe gender difference in suicidal behavior among young people in Cambodia who found it a challenge to negotiate between traditional and modern values. Paper IV. Suicide ambiguity in Buddhism, stigmatizing culture and double edged media were seen as suicide-provoking by the young people in Cambodia, who recommended peer-focused, school based program. Paper V. School based Life Skills Intervention overall benefited girls. Boys with high risk behavior had shown improvement on many Life Skills dimensions, as well as in their mental health profile. Conclusion The gender and cultural differences in suicidal expressions and their determinants among teenagers emphasize the importance of culturally sensitive and gender-specific suicide prevention programs. The influence of religion and media ought to be considered while planning intervention programs. School-based program may be a window of opportunity to promote mental health and prevent suicide among young people in Cambodia.

It has been suggested that depressed individuals have difficulties decoding emotional facial expressions in others contributing to a negative cycle of interpersonal difficulties. Some studies have demonstrated global deficits in the processing of emotional facial expressions compared to non-depressed participants, whereas others have noted differences for specific emotions. Methodological issues, including the operationalization of accuracy and bias and the examination of a limited range of emotion and intensity, can partially explain the mixed findings. The aim of the current study was to examine differences in accuracy in the detection of emotional facial expressions in participants with MDD (currently depressed, partially remitted, and those with a lifetime history of MDD) and non-depressed comparisons. Methodological limitations of previous studies were addressed by: (a) using the unbiased hit rate (Wagner, 1993), which is a more precise measure of accuracy for specific emotion, (b) using a more precise measure of judgment bias, taking into account the overuse or underuse of specific emotion categories, (c) including the six basic emotions, and (d) incorporating expressions ranging from 20%-100% intensity. Of secondary interest was to determine whether transient mood state is predictive of accuracy scores regardless of diagnostic status. Thirty-seven depressed and 34 non-depressed participants recruited from the ROHCG Mood Disorders program and the University of Ottawa took part in this study. Clinical status was assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV (SCID-IV) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Participants also completed the Profile of Mood States-Bipolar (POMS-BI) form to assess mood state at the time of testing. The facial recognition task consisted of happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise at 20%-100% intensity, presented for 500 ms. Participants pressed a computer key to identify the emotion that was presented. Results indicated that both groups of depressed participants were more accurate than non-depressed participants in detecting anger at 20% intensity. Depressed participants also showed a bias away from surprise. Group differences at high intensity were non-significant, however, participants with current depression and partial remission showed a bias towards anger at 50% intensity. Regression analyses were performed using the POMS-Agreeable Hostile (POMS-AH) and POMS-Elated Depressed (POMS-ED) scales to determine whether mood state was predictive of accuracy in the detection of anger and sadness. Regression models predicting accuracy were non-significant. Results of this study are considered in the context of cognitive and cognitive-interpersonal theories of MDD.

It has been suggested that depressed individuals have difficulties decoding emotional facial expressions in others contributing to a negative cycle of interpersonal difficulties. Some studies have demonstrated global deficits in the processing of emotional facial expressions compared to non-depressed participants, whereas others have noted differences for specific emotions. Methodological issues, including the operationalization of accuracy and bias and the examination of a limited range of emotion and intensity, can partially explain the mixed findings. The aim of the current study was to examine differences in accuracy in the detection of emotional facial expressions in participants with MDD (currently depressed, partially remitted, and those with a lifetime history of MDD) and non-depressed comparisons. Methodological limitations of previous studies were addressed by: (a) using the unbiased hit rate (Wagner, 1993), which is a more precise measure of accuracy for specific emotion, (b) using a more precise measure of judgment bias, taking into account the overuse or underuse of specific emotion categories, (c) including the six basic emotions, and (d) incorporating expressions ranging from 20%-100% intensity. Of secondary interest was to determine whether transient mood state is predictive of accuracy scores regardless of diagnostic status. Thirty-seven depressed and 34 non-depressed participants recruited from the ROHCG Mood Disorders program and the University of Ottawa took part in this study. Clinical status was assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV (SCID-IV) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Participants also completed the Profile of Mood States-Bipolar (POMS-BI) form to assess mood state at the time of testing. The facial recognition task consisted of happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise at 20%-100% intensity, presented for 500 ms. Participants pressed a computer key to identify the emotion that was presented. Results indicated that both groups of depressed participants were more accurate than non-depressed participants in detecting anger at 20% intensity. Depressed participants also showed a bias away from surprise. Group differences at high intensity were non-significant, however, participants with current depression and partial remission showed a bias towards anger at 50% intensity. Regression analyses were performed using the POMS-Agreeable Hostile (POMS-AH) and POMS-Elated Depressed (POMS-ED) scales to determine whether mood state was predictive of accuracy in the detection of anger and sadness. Regression models predicting accuracy were non-significant. Results of this study are considered in the context of cognitive and cognitive-interpersonal theories of MDD.

Each time we meet a new person, we draw inferences based on our impressions. The first thing we are likely to notice is a person's face. The face functions as one source of information, which we combine with the spoken word, body language, past experience, and the context of the situation to form judgments. Facial expressions serve as pieces of information we use to understand what another person is thinking, saying, or feeling. While there is strong support for the universality of emotion recognition, the ability to identify and interpret facial expressions varies by individual. Existing scales fail to include the dynamicity of the face. Five studies are proposed to examine the viability of the Facial Expression Intelligence Scale (FEIS) to measure individual ability to identify and interpret facial expressions. Consumer behavior implications are discussed. / Ph. D.

In social interactions it is important for perceivers to be able to differentiate between facial expressions of emotion associated with a congruent emotional experience (genuine expressions) and those that are not (posed expressions). This research investigated the sensitivity of participants with a range of depressive symptom severity and varying levels of rumination to the differences between genuine and posed facial expressions The suggested mechanisms underlying impairments in emotion recognition were also investigated; the effect of cognitive load (as a distraction from deliberate processing of stimuli) and attention, and the relationships between mechanisms and sensitivity across a range of depressive symptoms and level of rumination. Participants completed an emotion categorisation task in which they were asked if targets were showing either happiness or sadness, and then if targets were feeling those emotions. Participants also completed the same task under cognitive load. In addition, a recognition task was used to measure attention. Results showed that when making judgements about whether targets were feeling sad lower sensitivity was related to higher levels of depressive symptoms, but contrary to predictions, only when under cognitive load. Depressive symptoms and rumination were not related to higher levels of bias towards sad expressions. Recognition did not show a relationship with sensitivity, rumination or depression scores. Cognitive load did not show the expected effects or improving sensitivity but instead showed lower sensitivity scores in some conditions compared to conditions without load. Implications of results are discussed, as well as directions for future research.

Ces travaux s'inscrivent dans le cadre plus général de la réalisation d'une prothèse visuelle, destinée aux personnes atteintes de cécité tardive due à une maladie dégénérative des cellules photo réceptrices de la rétine. Par la stimulation adéquate de certaines parties des voies optiques encore fonctionnelles, il est possible de transmettre à nouveau des perceptions visuelles, appelées phosphènes, dans le champ visuel du patient. Les études actuelles portant sur le contenu informationnel de cette vision prothétique proposent simplement de réduire la résolution de l'image d'une caméra embarquée. Notre étude propose une nouvelle approche basée sur le principe de la vision fonctionnelle, développée en collaboration avec les spécialistes de la rééducation fonctionnelle de l'institut ARAMAV. Par le biais de cette approche innovante, nous avons défini des méthodes d'extraction et de représentation des informations de la scène. L'objectif est d'améliorer l'autonomie en mobilité et de rendre possible la perception des expressions faciales. Pour évaluer la pertinence de ces propositions, nous avons développé un simulateur de vision prothétique, dont les paramètres sont basés sur les résultats d'essais cliniques. Pour la mobilité, nous mettons notamment en évidence l'intérêt de fournir un accès aux informations 3D, en substitution ou en complément de l'information de luminosité, ainsi que l'intérêt d'utiliser un oculomètre pour améliorer et faciliter la prise d'informations. Des expériences spécifiques à la mobilité, ainsi que certains résultats initiaux sont présentés. Pour la reconnaissance des expressions faciales, notre étude apporte la preuve que ces expressions sont correctement perçues si nous combinons des techniques de sélection de l'information et l'utilisation de certains prétraitements. / This work falls within the broader framework of visual prostheses conception, designed for people suffering from late blindness due to degenerative diseases of retina photoreceptor cells. By stimulating certain part of the optical pathway that is still functional, it is possible to elicit visual perceptions, called phosphenes, in the subject's visual field. Recent studies on the problematic of informational content of prosthetic vision propose, in majority, a simple reduction in the resolution of grayscale images acquired from a single head worn camera. Our study proposes a new approach based on the principle of functional vision, developed in collaboration with specialists in functional rehabilitation of the ARAMAV institute. Through this innovative approach, we have defined methods for extraction and representation of scene informational content, which aim to improve autonomy in mobility and to make possible the perception of facial expressio ns. In order to evaluate these propositions, we have developed a prosthetic vision simulator, whose parameters are based on clinical trials results. For mobility, we present the usefulness of providing access to 3D information, in substitution or in addition with brightness information and the usefulness of an eye tracking device to improve and facilitate spatial knowledge acquisition. Experiments dedicated to mobility as well as some preliminary results are presented. For the recognition of facial expressions, our study provides evidence that these expressions are correctly perceived if we combined information selection and specific image processing techniques.

The diploma with the help of algebraic tiles thesis focuses on teaching expressions with variables in the eighth grade in middle school. It is divided into theoretical and experimental parts. A particular chapter is devoted to an analysis of selected textbooks. First of all, the aim of this thesis was to analyse mathematics textbooks from the perspective the algebraic expressions. Some knowledge acquired thanks to the textbook analysis was used for my own educational experiment, whose preparation, realisation and assessment were the second objective of this thesis. The theoretical part provides a look at expressions with variables in curricular documents. Thereafter the pillars of teaching algebraic expressions are presented. This part is completed by the classification of errors made by students in relation to the topic. An analysis of selected textbooks follows the theoretical part. The core of this thesis is the experimental part, where teaching is based on constructivist principles. The preparation of the course explains the manipulation of the algebra tiles used during the lessons. After the teaching experiments, we may conclude that the application of algebra tiles helps students get into the environment of algebraic expressions, improves the understanding of the rules of manipulations with...