On evidence for a dozen new basic emotions: A methodological critique

Much theory, research, and application regarding emotion is based on a set of basic emotions. But the question remains: which emotions are in that set? One proposal is to expand the classic set of six with 12 new ones, each indicated by a facial expression purported to convey that one specific emotion universally. A series of studies offered as support for this proposal relied on presenting participants with the emotion label embedded in a story and then asking them to choose among four facial expressions or none. Here we critique that response procedure (used in various studies) as confounding emotion with story. Our Study 1 (N = 1,230 residents of the United States) found that the same response procedure could "show" that the facial expressions used in that previous research convey emotions other than the ones that had been proposed. Our Study 2 (N = 64 in India and N = 56 in China) found similar results with participants who speak non-Indo-European languages (Malayalam and Mandarin). Altogether, our results question whether the proposed set of new basic emotions is warranted, given problems in the response procedure in which an emotion is embedded in a story. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).