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Startle reflex modulation by affective face "Emoji" pictographs.
Anton Aluja1,2, Ferran Balada3,4, Eduardo Blanco5,3
1University of Lleida, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. aluja@pip.udl.cat.
Psychological Research
|February 19, 2018
Summary
Emotional face emoji viewing modulates the acoustic startle reflex. Unpleasant emoji elicited higher startle responses than pleasant emoji, indicating their affective content influences physiological reactions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Digital communication relies heavily on emoji for conveying emotion.
- Understanding the psychological impact of emoji is crucial for effective online interaction.
- The eyeblink startle reflex is a validated measure of emotional processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate emotional differences in face emoji using the acoustic startle reflex.
- To determine if pleasant and unpleasant emoji elicit differential physiological responses.
- To extend emotional processing research to digital affective stimuli.
Main Methods:
- 30 face emoji (15 pleasant, 15 unpleasant) were selected and validated.
- Acoustic startle reflex was measured in 53 adult women viewing these emoji.
- Analysis utilized ANOVA to compare startle responses to pleasant versus unpleasant emoji.
Main Results:
- Significant main effects of picture valence on startle response were found.
- Unpleasant emoji elicited significantly higher startle responses than pleasant emoji.
- The findings align with the valence dimension of the theory of motivation and emotion.
Conclusions:
- Affective facial emoji expressions modulate the acoustic startle reflex.
- Emoji's emotional content influences physiological responses, similar to human faces.
- This research validates emoji as stimuli for studying emotional processing.