Neural processing of facial expressions as modulators of communicative intention

Abstract

Speakers use a variety of contextual information, such as facial emotional expressions for the successful transmission of their message. Listeners must decipher the meaning by understanding the intention behind it (Recanati, 1986). A traditional approach to the study of communicative intention has been through speech acts (Escandell, 2006). The objective of the present study is to further the understanding of the influence of facial expression to the recognition of communicative intention. The study sought to: verify the reliability of facial expressions recognition, find if there is an association between a facial expression and a category of speech acts, test if words contain an intentional load independent of the facial expression presented, and test whether facial expressions can modify an utterance’s communicative intention and the neural correlates associated using univariate and multivariate approaches. We found that previous observation of facial expressions associated with emotions can modify the interpretation of an assertive utterance that followed the facial expression. The hemodynamic brain response to an assertive utterance was moderated by the preceding facial expression and that classification based on the emotions expressed by the facial expression could be decoded by fluctuations in the brain’s hemodynamic response during the presentation of the assertive utterance. Neuroimaging data showed activation of regions involved in language, intentionality and face recognition during the utterance’s reading. Our results indicate that facial expression is a relevant contextual cue that decodes the intention of an utterance, and during decoding it engages different brain regions in agreement with the emotion expressed.

A novel task to evaluate irony comprehension and its essential elements in Spanish speakers

“…From the same database, the control facial expressions labeled as blank face, sad and happy were selected. The selection of the actors (two female and two male) was based on the accuracy in which they were recognized by a Mexican sample in a previous study (82.56 ± 6.23) ( Rasgado-Toledo et al, 2021 ). The five experimental and three control facial expressions, from these four actors, were used.…”

Facial icons as indexes of emotions and intentions

“…Among non-verbal forms of communication, facial expressions prove to be the most effective means of conveying emotions ( Awasthi and Mandal, 2015 ; Tarnowski et al, 2017 ). Moreover, they are the focal point of individuals’ intentions behind their expressions ( Rasgado-Toledo et al, 2021 ). For instance, a smile can signify a friendly disposition and, more broadly, express a motivation for affiliation, indicating an intention to foster or maintain social bonds ( Martin et al, 2017 ).…”