The Psychology of Facial Expression (Studies in Emotion and Social Interaction) [Paperback]

James A. Russell (Editor), José Miguel Fernández-Dols (Editor), George Mandler (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0521587964 | ISBN-13: 978-0521587969

This reference work provides broad and up-to-date coverage of the major perspectives--ethological, neurobehavioral, developmental, dynamic systems, and componential--on facial expression. The text reviews Darwin's legacy in the context of Izard and Tomkins' new theories as well as Fridlund's recently proposed Behavioural Ecology theory. Other contributions explore continuing controversies on universality and innateness, and update the research guidelines of Ekman, Friesen and Ellsworth. This book anticipates emerging research questions, such as the role of culture in children's understanding of faces, the precise ways faces depend on the immediate context, and the ecology of facial expression. The Psychology of Facial Expression is aimed at students, researchers, and educators in psychology, anthropology, and sociology who are interested in the emotive and communicative uses of facial expression.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'... opens new ways of looking at the biology and development of facial expression with a strong emphasis on the social function of expressive movements. In the process, much work is being done to loosen a strong association between expression and emotion. Such a step can only be helpful toward understanding what a realistic account of the relation between emotion and facial expression might be, and how best to analyze that most expressive of human characteristics - the face.' George Mandler, from the Foreword

'... a unique and fascinating discussion ... this book is not just a summary of past research ... Rather it provides a place from which to begin future research. For my own part, after reading this book I can hardly wait to get started'. Nicholas A. Troop, Behaviour Research and Therapy

Book Description

What do facial expressions express? Simply emotions? Current scientific work suggests that there are hidden social messages in human facial expressions, that thoughts too can be revealed, that context can determine whether any expression occurs, and that reading emotions from faces is not as simple, universal, and accurate as it appears. This book summarizes and critiques current research and provides guidelines for future research on facial expressions. It provides a broad overview of the field, reviewing a range of theories and perspectives.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (March 28, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521587964
• ISBN-13: 978-0521587969
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,534,741 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad book at all, June 1, 2003

By 

avoice "in the wilderness" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Psychology of Facial Expression (Studies in Emotion and Social Interaction) (Paperback)

One of the interesting things about science is how often its finding are counter-intuitive and are surprizes. You would think that most people are pretty good at reading facial expressions, and that some people like professional poker players are more than pretty good. In fact I once saw a book published for the benefit of the silent movie actors which had examples of facial expressions to be used to convey certain emotions on the screen: like a wide open mouth to signify surprize or amazement. It turns out that in real life as we know it such is not the case and that we are not so accurate as to our assessments of others. Sometimes a person with a wry smile is just a person with a wry smile. That what this book is about. It will help you learn that you still have something to learn. This is however a book for professionals in the psychology biz, since it recounts a lot of data. But it would be a useful tool for anyone interested in science as a whole, and anyone who like me is always interested in finding out that his entrenched preconceptions are not so well trenched as he thinks. That the footings are weak.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent collection of viewpoints on facial expression, January 3, 2011

By 

J.D. (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Psychology of Facial Expression (Studies in Emotion and Social Interaction) (Paperback)

This is a great book on facial expression - and an excellent model of how an edited collection should be done. The authors have brought together a set of papers on facial expression that both give a good overview of varied approaches, and which are at times directly contradictory. The editors' essays help bridge these differing viewpoints and give the reader a good sense of the big questions in the field.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Psychology of Facial Expression, May 14, 2009

By 

Mary Gazda (Eureka, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Psychology of Facial Expression (Studies in Emotion and Social Interaction) (Paperback)

I was hoping for many more pictures to illustrate body language. This would be a good book if I was writing a Thesis on the subject and needed references.