Influence of gender in the recognition of basic facial expressions: A critical literature review

Autor(es)

Forni-Santos, Larissa ^[1] ; Osorio, Flavia L. ^{[1, 2]}

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Neurosci & Behav, Ribeirao Preto Med Sch, Ave Bandeirantes 3900, 3 Andar, BR-14051140 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

^[2] Natl Inst Technol & Translat Med, BR-90035903 Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo de Revisão
• Fonte: WORLD JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY; v. 5, n. 3, p. 342-351, SEP 22 2015.
• Citações Web of Science: 13

Resumo

AIM: To conduct a systematic literature review about the influence of gender on the recognition of facial expressions of six basic emotions. METHODS: We made a systematic search with the search terms (face OR facial) AND (processing OR recognition OR perception) AND (emotional OR emotion) AND (gender or sex) in PubMed, PsycINFO, LILACS, and SciELO electronic databases for articles assessing outcomes related to response accuracy and latency and emotional intensity. The articles selection was performed according to parameters set by COCHRANE. The reference lists of the articles found through the database search were checked for additional references of interest. RESULTS: In respect to accuracy, women tend to perform better than men when all emotions are considered as a set. Regarding specific emotions, there seems to be no gender-related differences in the recognition of happiness, whereas results are quite heterogeneous in respect to the remaining emotions, especially sadness, anger, and disgust. Fewer articles dealt with the parameters of response latency and emotional intensity, which hinders the generalization of their findings, especially in the face of their methodological differences. CONCLUSION: The analysis of the studies conducted to date do not allow for definite conclusions concerning the role of the observer's gender in the recognition of facial emotion, mostly because of the absence of standardized methods of investigation. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 12/02260-7 - Traumas emocionais precoces, transtornos psiquiátricos e reconhecimento de expressões faciais: adaptação de instrumentos/procedimentos e estudos clínicos envolvendo prevalência e associação de variáveis
• Beneficiário: Flávia de Lima Osório
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular