Valence, arousal, and dominance ratings for facial stimuli

Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2019 Aug;72(8):2046-2055. doi: 10.1177/1747021819829012. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Abstract

A total of 1,363 images from seven sets of facial stimuli were normed using the self-assessment manikin procedure. Each participant provided valence, arousal, and dominance ratings for 120-130 faces displaying various emotional expressions (e.g., happiness, sadness). The current work provides a large database of normed ratings for facial stimuli that complements the existing International Affective Picture System and the Affective Norms for English Words that were developed to provide a normative set of emotional ratings for photographs and words, respectively. This new database will increase experimental control in studies examining the perception, processing, and identification of emotional faces.

Keywords: Emotion; arousal; dominance; faces; valence.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Databases as Topic
  • Emotions / physiology*
  • Facial Expression*
  • Facial Recognition / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Social Dominance*
  • Social Perception*