Validation of RaFD running

Dear all,

I'd like to write shortly on the validation we're currently running on the RaFD images. The fact that we're already validating implies that we are finished with the rough selection process of images. The rough selection was done by two FACS coders, Skyler Hawk and Vasily Klucharev. Based on seeing all frontal pictures, the FACS coders chose for each model, gaze direction, and emotion those two images with the most prototypical emotional expression. Our reduced set thus contains two images per model, emotion, gaze direction, and camera angle, summing to a total of 17,000+ images.

In the validation study we collect ratings on the 3,400+ frontal images. The data are gathered in the lab of the Behavioural Science Institute. In total, about 380 participants are rating subsets of the total image set on the following dimensions:

• attractiveness, on a 5-point scale
• emotion prototype, forced-choice between 9 alternatives (neutral, angry, disgusted, contemptuous, fearful, happy, surprised, sad, other)
• intensity of emotion, on a 5-point scale
• clarity of emotion, on a 5-point scale
• genuineness of emotion, on a 5-point scale
• valence of emotion, on a 5-point scale

For each image in the set, we are planning to have 20 ratings from different participants on each of the dimensions. So this short post is just to inform you about what you can expect from the validation of the image set.

Oliver