Data_Sheet_1_Virtual Reality Experiments on Emotional Face Recognition Find No Evidence of Mood-Congruent Effects.xls

Mood-congruent effects have been demonstrated many times, but few studies have managed to replicate the effect with natural moods. Additionally, the ecological validity of mood induction and real-time observation deficiency remain unresolved. Using a newly developed, virtual-reality-based eye-tracking technique, the present study conducted real-time observations of mood effects on emotional face recognition with simulated “real-life” pleasant and grisly scenes. In experiment 1, participants performed an emotional face recognition task in both positive and negative virtual reality scenes. The recognition tests and gaze tracking results failed to support mood-congruent effects but did show a mood effect independent of a strong emotional face effect. In experiment 2, participants performed a neutral face recognition task in pleasant and grisly scenes that were matched for arousal levels, and the mood effect disappeared. The results also revealed a robust negativity bias in emotional face recognition, which was found to accompany a mood repair effect.

情绪一致性效应已被证实多次，然而，鲜有研究能够利用自然情绪成功复制该效应。此外，情绪诱导的生态效度和实时观察的不足仍待解决。本研究采用一种基于虚拟现实的新兴眼动追踪技术，对情绪效应对情感面孔识别的影响进行了实时观察，并模拟了‘真实生活’中的愉悦与凄惨场景。在实验1中，参与者在一正一负的虚拟现实场景中执行情感面孔识别任务。识别测试和注视追踪结果并未支持情绪一致性效应，但确实显示出了一种独立于强烈情感面孔效应的情绪效应。在实验2中，参与者在对唤起水平进行匹配的愉悦与凄惨场景中执行中性面孔识别任务，情绪效应消失。研究结果还揭示了在情感面孔识别中存在一种稳健的负面偏见，该偏见被发现伴随情绪修复效应。