Sad people are more accurate at face recognition than happy people

Authors: Hills, P.J., Werno, M.A. and Lewis, M.B.

Journal: Consciousness and Cognition

Volume: 20

Issue: 4

Pages: 1502-1517

eISSN: 1090-2376

ISSN: 1053-8100

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2011.07.002

Abstract:

Mood has varied effects on cognitive performance including the accuracy of face recognition (Lundh & Ost, 1996). Three experiments are presented here that explored face recognition abilities in mood-induced participants. Experiment 1 demonstrated that happy-induced participants are less accurate and have a more conservative response bias than sad-induced participants in a face recognition task. Using a remember/know/guess procedure, Experiment 2 showed that sad-induced participants had more conscious recollections of faces than happy-induced participants. Additionally, sad-induced participants could recognise all faces accurately, whereas, happy- and neutral-induced participants recognised happy faces more accurately than sad faces. In Experiment 3, these effects were not observed when participants intentionally learnt the faces, rather than incidentally learnt the faces. It is suggested that happy-induced participants do not process faces as elaborately as sad-induced participants. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.

Source: Scopus

Sad people are more accurate at face recognition than happy people.

Authors: Hills, P.J., Werno, M.A. and Lewis, M.B.

Journal: Conscious Cogn

Volume: 20

Issue: 4

Pages: 1502-1517

eISSN: 1090-2376

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2011.07.002

Abstract:

Mood has varied effects on cognitive performance including the accuracy of face recognition (Lundh & Ost, 1996). Three experiments are presented here that explored face recognition abilities in mood-induced participants. Experiment 1 demonstrated that happy-induced participants are less accurate and have a more conservative response bias than sad-induced participants in a face recognition task. Using a remember/know/guess procedure, Experiment 2 showed that sad-induced participants had more conscious recollections of faces than happy-induced participants. Additionally, sad-induced participants could recognise all faces accurately, whereas, happy- and neutral-induced participants recognised happy faces more accurately than sad faces. In Experiment 3, these effects were not observed when participants intentionally learnt the faces, rather than incidentally learnt the faces. It is suggested that happy-induced participants do not process faces as elaborately as sad-induced participants.

Source: PubMed

Sad people are more accurate at face recognition than happy people

Authors: Hills, P.J., Werno, M.A. and Lewis, M.B.

Journal: Consciousness and cognition

Volume: 20

Pages: 1502-1517

Publisher: Academic Press

Source: Manual

Sad people are more accurate at face recognition than happy people.

Authors: Hills, P.J., Werno, M.A. and Lewis, M.B.

Journal: Consciousness and cognition

Volume: 20

Issue: 4

Pages: 1502-1517

eISSN: 1090-2376

ISSN: 1053-8100

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2011.07.002

Abstract:

Mood has varied effects on cognitive performance including the accuracy of face recognition (Lundh & Ost, 1996). Three experiments are presented here that explored face recognition abilities in mood-induced participants. Experiment 1 demonstrated that happy-induced participants are less accurate and have a more conservative response bias than sad-induced participants in a face recognition task. Using a remember/know/guess procedure, Experiment 2 showed that sad-induced participants had more conscious recollections of faces than happy-induced participants. Additionally, sad-induced participants could recognise all faces accurately, whereas, happy- and neutral-induced participants recognised happy faces more accurately than sad faces. In Experiment 3, these effects were not observed when participants intentionally learnt the faces, rather than incidentally learnt the faces. It is suggested that happy-induced participants do not process faces as elaborately as sad-induced participants.

Source: Europe PubMed Central