Lesson 3: What’s the Emotion? The Nose Knows.

Actors have the ability to use their faces to show a variety of emotions that they are not really feeling. However, most people cannot hide their true emotions, and their facial features are easily interpreted. How effective do you think a person’s nose is at conveying emotions?

Doing the science

1. Start the Microexpressions Simulation by clicking on the "Sim" tab.
2. Study the various parts of the screen. Note the five buttons at the bottom of the screen that allow you to select the emotion portrayed by the figure’s face.
3. In this lesson, you are going to focus on the nose of the face. Try to ignore the other facial features and only study the changes in the nose.
4. Click the "Start" button. Watch the figure’s nose and determine the emotion conveyed by the nose.
5. Click on one of the appropriate emotion buttons: Happiness, Fear, Sadness, Surprise, or Anger.
6. You can select the "Show Face Again" button if you were unable to determine the face’s expression. This function repeats the expression.
7. Go through all three levels of the simulation: Easy, Moderate, and Difficult. Again, remember to only view the nose to determine the emotion conveyed by the face.
8. Record your results in Table 1 below.