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Journal of Nonverbal Behavior

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01-03-2007 | ORIGINAL PAPER

Moving Faces: Categorization of Dynamic Facial Expressions in American Sign Language by Deaf and Hearing Participants

Authors: Ruth B. Grossman, Judy Kegl

Published in: Journal of Nonverbal Behavior | Issue 1/2007

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Abstract

American Sign Language (ASL) uses the face to express grammar and inflection, in addition to emotion. Research in this area has mostly used photographic stimuli. The purpose of this paper is to present data on how deaf signers and hearing non-signers recognize and categorize a variety of communicative facial expressions in ASL using dynamic stimuli rather than static pictures. Stimuli included six expression types chosen because they share overt similarities but express different content. Hearing participants were more accurate in their categorizations but expressed overall lower confidence regarding their performance.

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For a detailed description of the SignStream™ analysis for these stimuli, see Grossman and Kegl (2006).

After completion of the task, one hearing subject’s data were eliminated from the sample because she indicated belatedly that she was not a native English speaker. Two deaf participants were disqualified prior to completing the study. One was disqualified because she was unable to decide on how to categorize any of the stimuli, the other because his vision was so poor that he was not able to visually distinguish between any of the facial expressions presented. One additional deaf subject was excluded after completion of the study, because he consistently checked off more than one response category for each stimulus presentation, making it impossible to interpret his data.

One each of the 15 deaf participants and 23 hearing participants included in the accuracy analyses did not mark any confidence rating.

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Title: Moving Faces: Categorization of Dynamic Facial Expressions in American Sign Language by Deaf and Hearing Participants
Authors: Ruth B. Grossman
Judy Kegl
Publication date: 01-03-2007
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Nonverbal Behavior / Issue 1/2007
Print ISSN: 0191-5886
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3653
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-006-0022-2

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