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Updated: May 9, 2026
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Exploring the Use of Isolated Expressions and Film Clips to Evaluate Emotion Recognition by People with Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: May 15, 2016
The relationship between facial affect recognition and cognitive functioning after traumatic brain injury
Jackki Yim1, Duncan R Babbage, Barbra Zupan
1School of Psychology, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand.
Brain Injury
|July 31, 2013
Summary
Facial affect recognition deficits in traumatic brain injury (TBI) are linked to impaired non-verbal memory, working memory, and processing speed. Executive functions may not directly impact recognition but are crucial for response.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in impairments in facial affect recognition and cognitive functions.
- The specific relationship between these two domains post-TBI remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between facial affect recognition abilities and cognitive functioning in adults with moderate-to-severe TBI.
- To identify specific cognitive domains that correlate with or predict facial affect recognition deficits in this population.
Main Methods:
- Seventy-five adults with moderate-to-severe TBI participated in the study.
- Participants completed three facial affect recognition tests.
- A computerized cognitive test battery assessed seven distinct cognitive domains.
Main Results:
- Facial affect recognition deficits were significantly correlated with impairments in non-verbal memory, working memory, processing speed, and verbal memory.
- Executive dysfunction did not show a significant relationship with facial affect recognition impairments.
- Non-verbal memory, working memory, and processing speed were significant predictors of overall facial affect recognition performance.
Conclusions:
- Impairments in non-verbal memory, working memory, and processing speed likely contribute to facial affect recognition deficits following TBI.
- Executive functioning may play a secondary role, influencing the behavioral response to perceived facial affect rather than recognition itself.
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