Individual differences in social intelligence and perception of emotion expression of masked and unmasked faces.

Publisher: SpringerOpen Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101697632 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2365-7464 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 23657464 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Cogn Res Princ Implic Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2017- : London : SpringerOpen
Original Publication: [London] : Springer, [2016]-

Emotional Intelligence* ; Individuality*; Emotions ; Humans ; Intelligence Tests ; Perception

Facial expressions provide key information for successful social interactions. Recent research finds that accurate perception of emotion expressions decreases when faces are presented with face masks. What is unknown is how individual differences in social intelligence may influence perception of masked emotion expressions. In this study, participants (n = 224) completed an emotion perception task of face stimuli presented with and without face masks and completed two measures of social intelligence: the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) and the Tromsø Social Intelligence Scale (TSIS). Face masks were found to significantly decrease the accurate identification of emotion expressions, impacting the perception of disgust and sad expressions the most. Further, the type of emotion misattributed to facial expressions varied across expressions. Performance on the RMET test did predict perception accuracy, while scores on the TSIS did not. As face masks continue to be common globally, we must be aware that they cause interference with our social interactions and perceptions. Further, some individuals may be more negatively impacted by these effects than others. As such, it is important that we find ways to ensure that we are effectively communicating with one another and have patience when perception mistakes arise.
(© 2022. The Author(s).)

JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Sep 1;3(9):e2019686. (PMID: 32876685)
Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2013;66(12):2426-42. (PMID: 23679155)
Psychiatry Res. 2016 Jul 30;241:122-7. (PMID: 27173656)
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2009 Dec 12;364(1535):3453-8. (PMID: 19884140)
Front Psychol. 2012 Apr 10;3:110. (PMID: 22557983)
Lancet Psychiatry. 2021 Feb;8(2):130-140. (PMID: 33181098)
Cognition. 2012 Nov;125(2):195-206. (PMID: 22892280)
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 Aug 14;69(32):1049-1057. (PMID: 32790653)
PLoS One. 2017 May 11;12(5):e0177239. (PMID: 28493921)
Community Ment Health J. 2021 Jan;57(1):101-110. (PMID: 33108569)
Psychol Sci. 2013 May;24(5):688-97. (PMID: 23531485)
PLoS One. 2021 Apr 23;16(4):e0249792. (PMID: 33891614)
Travel Med Infect Dis. 2020 Jul - Aug;36:101751. (PMID: 32473312)
Neuropsychologia. 2012 Oct;50(12):2830-2838. (PMID: 22974675)
Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 16;11(1):3870. (PMID: 33594094)
Cogn Emot. 2018 May;32(3):623-631. (PMID: 28566058)
Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2017 May;70(5):970-986. (PMID: 26886246)
Sci Rep. 2020 Dec 21;10(1):22344. (PMID: 33349645)
Scand J Psychol. 2001 Sep;42(4):313-9. (PMID: 11547906)
Front Psychol. 2020 Sep 25;11:566886. (PMID: 33101135)
BMC Psychol. 2017 May 12;5(1):16. (PMID: 28499409)
R Soc Open Sci. 2020 Sep 16;7(9):201305. (PMID: 33047068)
Cogn Emot. 2022 Feb;36(1):59-69. (PMID: 34432603)
Stat Med. 2008 Dec 20;27(29):6137-57. (PMID: 18816511)
J Pers Soc Psychol. 1979 Nov;37(11):2049-58. (PMID: 521902)
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2001 Feb;42(2):241-51. (PMID: 11280420)
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1997 Oct;38(7):813-22. (PMID: 9363580)

Keywords: Emotion perception; Face masks; Face perception; Social intelligence

Date Created: 20220628 Date Completed: 20220630 Latest Revision: 20220716

20240105

PMC9240176

10.1186/s41235-022-00408-3

35763118