Showing posts with label FACS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FACS. Show all posts
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Creation of RaFD presented at the 12th European Conference on Facial Expression
Skyler Hawk and Job van der Schalk just presented the creation of the Radboud Faces Database at the 12th European Conference on Facial Expression in Geneva, Switzerland. It was a really exciting event, and thanks to all the attendees for showing their interest!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Creating standardized expressions for the RaFD
Target Face Action Units
There are lots of ways that one can express the same emotion through the face, and there are, of course, huge individual differences based on physiology, prior personal experiences, and culture, just to name a few factors. However, one of the main goals for the RaFD is to produce a standardized set of facial expressions in which people are more or less using the same facial muscles to convey the emotion. This has obvious benefits for psychological research - in facial mimicry studies, for example, this standardization means that you can be sure that participants are mimicking something that is actually there in every picture being shown to them. To my knowledge, there is currently no other existing database of static images that has attempted to have standard facial expressions available for such a large number of models.
When developing the faces used for the RaFD, Job van der Schalk and I based our target expressions upon prototypes defined by Paul Ekman and Walter Friesen, and attempted to elicit these expressions through a variation of the Directed Facial Action Task (DFAT)1. Our knowledge of the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) was invaluable to this process.
Below are the target codes (in terms of FACS Action Units) that we attempted to elicit from the models. AUs in boldface are "core AUs" that we considered to be absolutely essential to photographing before moving on to the next emotion, and were the main requisites for selecting pictures used in pilot tests.
Anger: 4CDE + 5CDE + 7 + 17 + 23/24
Contempt: Unilateral 14
Disgust: 9 + 10 + 25
Fear: 1 + 2 + 4 + 5DE + 20 + 25
Happiness: 6 + 12CDE + 25
Sadness: 1 + 4 + 15ABC + 17
Surprise: 1 + 2 + 5AB + 26
References
1. Ekman, P. ( 2007). The directed facial action task. In J. A. Coan and J. J. B. Allen (Eds.), Handbook of Emotion Elicitation and Assessment (pp. 47-53). Oxford University Press.
There are lots of ways that one can express the same emotion through the face, and there are, of course, huge individual differences based on physiology, prior personal experiences, and culture, just to name a few factors. However, one of the main goals for the RaFD is to produce a standardized set of facial expressions in which people are more or less using the same facial muscles to convey the emotion. This has obvious benefits for psychological research - in facial mimicry studies, for example, this standardization means that you can be sure that participants are mimicking something that is actually there in every picture being shown to them. To my knowledge, there is currently no other existing database of static images that has attempted to have standard facial expressions available for such a large number of models.
When developing the faces used for the RaFD, Job van der Schalk and I based our target expressions upon prototypes defined by Paul Ekman and Walter Friesen, and attempted to elicit these expressions through a variation of the Directed Facial Action Task (DFAT)1. Our knowledge of the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) was invaluable to this process.
Below are the target codes (in terms of FACS Action Units) that we attempted to elicit from the models. AUs in boldface are "core AUs" that we considered to be absolutely essential to photographing before moving on to the next emotion, and were the main requisites for selecting pictures used in pilot tests.
Anger: 4CDE + 5CDE + 7 + 17 + 23/24
Contempt: Unilateral 14
Disgust: 9 + 10 + 25
Fear: 1 + 2 + 4 + 5DE + 20 + 25
Happiness: 6 + 12CDE + 25
Sadness: 1 + 4 + 15ABC + 17
Surprise: 1 + 2 + 5AB + 26
References
1. Ekman, P. ( 2007). The directed facial action task. In J. A. Coan and J. J. B. Allen (Eds.), Handbook of Emotion Elicitation and Assessment (pp. 47-53). Oxford University Press.
Coaching Models in the Photo Session
We typically had about 45 minutes to collect all of the desired photos from each model. This amounted to about 6 minutes per emotion, on average. Some poses were accomplished relatively quickly (such as joy), while more complex expressions (i.e., fear and sadness) sometimes took up as much as 1/2 of the total session time. There were at least 3 individuals working with the models during the shoots: 1) a FACS trainer who coached models on the AUs, and took photos using a remote control when the expression was satisfactory; 2) A posture checker sitting in front of 5 computer monitors, making sure that the model's head and body were correctly in frame from every angle; and 3) a posture coach stading behind the FACS trainer, who relayed information from the posture checker to the model. This allowed the FACS trainer to concentrate solely upon the face without also worrying about giving posture instructions.
Posture Checker (Oliver Langner) and FACS Trainer (Skyler Hawk)
Photograph by Bert Meelberg
FACS Trainer (Skyler Hawk) Posture Coach (Gijs Bijlstra)
Photograph by Bert Meelberg
Job van der Schalk and I have shared interests and backgrounds in dramatic arts, including acting and directing, that were essential to our jobs as FACS coaches. Not only did we have to elicit the correct AUs from models, but it was important to stay energetic, give constructive feedback, and keep them in good spirits. It's important to note that this whole process could be quite exhausting for the models, both physically and mentally. We tried to keep things going smoothly by giving short breaks, if needed. When models had trouble making certian AU combinations during the shoot, we provided further on-site instruction with the use of a hand-held mirror.
Sometimes, the exhaustion that can come with exercising the facial muscles in this way required us to move on to another expression that used completely different sets of AUs, coming back to the former expression as time allowed. This was especially true if models didn't already use these AUs in their own expressions of certain emotions. We found that 1+4 and 1+2+4 combinations required the most sustained effort, although lower-face AUs such as 15 and 20 also tended to "fade out" without continued feedback to keep things at the desired strength.
Posture Checker (Oliver Langner) and FACS Trainer (Skyler Hawk)Photograph by Bert Meelberg
FACS Trainer (Skyler Hawk) Posture Coach (Gijs Bijlstra)Photograph by Bert Meelberg
Job van der Schalk and I have shared interests and backgrounds in dramatic arts, including acting and directing, that were essential to our jobs as FACS coaches. Not only did we have to elicit the correct AUs from models, but it was important to stay energetic, give constructive feedback, and keep them in good spirits. It's important to note that this whole process could be quite exhausting for the models, both physically and mentally. We tried to keep things going smoothly by giving short breaks, if needed. When models had trouble making certian AU combinations during the shoot, we provided further on-site instruction with the use of a hand-held mirror.
Sometimes, the exhaustion that can come with exercising the facial muscles in this way required us to move on to another expression that used completely different sets of AUs, coming back to the former expression as time allowed. This was especially true if models didn't already use these AUs in their own expressions of certain emotions. We found that 1+4 and 1+2+4 combinations required the most sustained effort, although lower-face AUs such as 15 and 20 also tended to "fade out" without continued feedback to keep things at the desired strength.
Training Models
Model Training and Rehearsal
Models typically received a photo training manual at least 24 hours in advance. This manual contained both written instructions and sample pictures drawn from two different existing databases (the JACFEE1 and Karolinska2 sets). We requested that models practice for at least an hour prior to their appointment, whenever possible.
Before beginning with the actual photo session, we made sure that models were able to make the expressions as requested by leading them through warm-up and refinement training exercises. This rehearsal session typically lasted 30 minutes. This allowed us to assess the initial capabilities of the models and to get an idea of which expressions would need more time and effort during the photo shoot. It also allowed us to try several different "tricks" that we developed, beyond the DFAT instructions, to elicit the tagret AUs. Some of these tricks worked better than others, but which ones were best really depended on the individual. Some people responded better imagery-based tasks, for example, while others were more assisted by physiology-based instruction. If you have further comments/questions about our coaching/training procedures, be sure to add a comment.
References
1. Biehl, M., Matsumoto, D., Ekman, P., Hearn, V., Heider, K., Kudoh, T., & Ton, V. (1997). Matsumoto and Ekman's Japanese and Caucasian Facial Expressions of Emotion (JACFEE): Reliability data and cross-national differences. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 21, 3-21.
2. Goeleven, E., De Raedt, R., Leyman, L., & Verschuere, B. (2008). The Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces: A validation study. Cognition & Emotion, 22, 1094-1118.
Models typically received a photo training manual at least 24 hours in advance. This manual contained both written instructions and sample pictures drawn from two different existing databases (the JACFEE1 and Karolinska2 sets). We requested that models practice for at least an hour prior to their appointment, whenever possible.
Before beginning with the actual photo session, we made sure that models were able to make the expressions as requested by leading them through warm-up and refinement training exercises. This rehearsal session typically lasted 30 minutes. This allowed us to assess the initial capabilities of the models and to get an idea of which expressions would need more time and effort during the photo shoot. It also allowed us to try several different "tricks" that we developed, beyond the DFAT instructions, to elicit the tagret AUs. Some of these tricks worked better than others, but which ones were best really depended on the individual. Some people responded better imagery-based tasks, for example, while others were more assisted by physiology-based instruction. If you have further comments/questions about our coaching/training procedures, be sure to add a comment.
References
1. Biehl, M., Matsumoto, D., Ekman, P., Hearn, V., Heider, K., Kudoh, T., & Ton, V. (1997). Matsumoto and Ekman's Japanese and Caucasian Facial Expressions of Emotion (JACFEE): Reliability data and cross-national differences. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 21, 3-21.
2. Goeleven, E., De Raedt, R., Leyman, L., & Verschuere, B. (2008). The Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces: A validation study. Cognition & Emotion, 22, 1094-1118.
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