1. NimStim Set - Tottenham et al.(2009)
Tarrlab Face Database - www.face-place.org
keyassignmentwascounterbalancedacross3computers
Neutral Happy Disgust
Fear Sad
Show Me Your Poker Face: Are Poker Players Better at Recognizing Emotional Expressions?
*Erin D Browning,^Carol M Huynh,& *Jessie J Peissig
*Department of Psychology,California State University Fullerton,Fullerton,CA
^Department of Psychology,North Dakota State University,Fargo,ND 33.549
1. Learning may enhance one’s ability to
recognize emotions.
Previous studies have found that paranoid
schizophrenics are better able to discriminate
genuine from posed expressions (LaRusso,1978;
Davis & Gibson,2000)
- They are better than control participants and other
types of schizophrenics
- These data suggest that these individuals have
learned to attend to specific emotion cues that they
find relevant
If paranoid schizophrenics can acquire this skill,
perhaps other populations can as well.
- In person (as opposed to online) poker players are
motivated to accurately read the emotions of others
- Rather than test genuine vs.posed expressions we
tested how well poker players recognize specific
genuine emotions.
Genuine emotions are more subtle than posed
expressions,allowing for sensitivity in testing for
small differences in accuracy.
5. Poker players are slightly worse than
nonplayers at recognizing all emotions,with
the exception of happy.Poker players were
slightly better at recognizing happy
expressions.
2.Genuine facial expressions were validated in a
pilot study
Pre-Experiment Testing:
- All the faces used in the study were obtained from
www.face-place.org
- 414 different facial expressions were given to 99
participants to see if the emotions were accurately labeled
- A set of 40 facial expressions that were all
rated at or above 25% correct (chance= 12.5%) were
chosen for stimuli
- We used 5 different expressions:Neutral,Happy,Disgust,
Fear,and Sad
- We used 8 of each expression,half male and half female
This research was supported by a California State University Fullerton Incentive
Grant and a California State University Fullerton Faculty-Student Research
Grant with Carol Huyhn.
Poker players may have learned to be more
sensitive to“leakage”of happiness, because this
would indicate another player has a good hand.
3. Method for Testing Poker Players - Label the
Emotion (Confused,Disgust,or Neutral)
7. References
6. Poker players may have an advantage for
recognizing“happy”expressions, but not for
any other emotions
Davis,P.J.,&Gibson,M.G.(2000).Recognitionofposedandgenuinefacialexpressions
ofemotioninparanoidandnonparanoidschizophrenia.JournalofAbnormalPsychology,
109,445-450.
Ekman,P.(2003).Darwin,deception,andfacialexpression.InP.Ekman,R.J.Davidson,&F.De-
Waals(Eds.),AnnalsoftheNewYorkAcademyofSciences:Vol.1000.(pp.205-221).NewYork:
NewYorkAcademyofSciences.
LaRusso,L.(1978).Sensitivityofparanoidpatientstononverbalcues.JournalofAbnormal
Psychology,87,463-471.
Peissig,J.J.,Vicente,G.I.,Bouz,M.,&Lujan,A.(August2010).Validationofafacedatabaseof
genuineemotionalexpressions.PosterpresentedattheAnnualConventionoftheAmerican
PsychologicalAssociation,SanDiego,CA.
Porter,S.,Korva,N.,&Baker,A.(2011).Secretsofthehumanface:Newinsightsintothefaceand
covertemotions.PsychologyAotearoa.
Porter,S.,tenBrinke,L.,Baker,A.,&Wallace,B.(2012).WouldIlietoyou?“Leakage” indeceptive
facialexpressionsrelatestopsychopathyandemotionalintelligence.PersonalityandIndividual
Differences,51,133-137.Tarrlab face-place stimuli database.Retrieved February 2,2009
from www.face-place.org
Tottenham,N.,Tanaka,J.,Leon,A.C.,McCarry,T.,Nurse,T.A.,Marcus,D.J.,Westerlund,
A.,Casey,B.J.,& Nelson,C.A.M.,Hare,(2009).The NimStim set of facial expressions:
Judgments from untrained research participants.Psychiatry Research,168,242-249.
4. Poker players were not significantly different
from Nonplayers at recognizing emotions
overall
Other studies (Porter, ten Brinke, Baker, &
Wallace, 2011) have found that leakage is
greater for negative emotions, but also that
stronger emotions may produce more leakage
than weaker emotions (Ekman, 2003; Porter,
Corva, & Baker, 2011). “Happy”may be
particularly strong when a poker player could
win with his/her hand.
These data along with other studies, suggest
that emotion recognition is not a monolithic
skill. One can improve recognition on even a
single emotion, or a single task such as
discriminating genuine from posed expressions
(LaRusso, 1978).
250ms
500ms
UntilResponseor5000ms
It may be possible to improve emotion
recognition skills with experience, even for
a single emotion
Posed Emotions (Happy & Disgust):
Genuine/Spontaneous Emotions (Happy & Disgust):
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
Neutral Happy Disgust Fear Sad
ProportionCorrect
Emotion
On Campus Poker Players Non Poker Players
0.40
0.45
0.50
0.55
0.60
0.65
0.70
0.75
On Campus Poker Players Non Poker Players
OverallProportionCorrect
AcrossAllEmotions
Data Include:
- 15 Poker Players from an on campus Texas Hold‘Em
Club who reported that they primarily play live poker
(as opposed to online),and that they play frequently
(once per week or more)
- 24 Non Poker Players
n=15 Poker Players,24 Nonplayers