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Forced-choice response format in the study of facial expression

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Abstract

This article is a methodological note on a potential problem with a forced-choice response scale in the study of facial expressions of emotion. For example, a majority of subjects categorized Matsumoto and Ekman's (1988) reported facial expression of “anger” as contempt when using one forced-choice format, as disgust, with another format, and as frustration, with a third. When shown the anger expression and given a choice amonganger, frustration, and other labels, few subjects (12.5% on average) selectedanger. Ifcontempt, digust, andfrustration are considered wrong answers, then forced choice can yield consensus on the wrong answer; ifanger is the right answer, then forced choice can fail to yield consensus on the right answer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The University of British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    James A. Russell

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  1. James A. Russell
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Additional information

This study was funded by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

I thank Dee-Ann Matsugu, Lara Weick, and Lisa Wong for their work on this study.

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Russell, J.A. Forced-choice response format in the study of facial expression. Motiv Emot 17, 41–51 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00995206

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00995206

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