• Paul Ekman Facial Coding System
• Paul Ekman Facial Expressions Study

Facial Action Coding System (FACS) is a system to taxonomize human facial movements by their appearance on the face, based on a system originally developed by a Swedish anatomist named Carl-Herman Hjortsjö.^[1] It was later adopted by Paul Ekman and Wallace V. Friesen, and published in 1978.^[2] Ekman, Friesen, and Joseph C. Hager published a significant update to FACS in 2002.^[3] Movements of individual facial muscles are encoded by FACS from slight different instant changes in facial appearance.^[4] It is a common standard to systematically categorize the physical expression of emotions, and it has proven useful to psychologists and to animators. Due to subjectivity and time consumption issues, FACS has been established as a computed automated system that detects faces in videos, extracts the geometrical features of the faces, and then produces temporal profiles of each facial movement.^[4]

Uses[edit]

Using FACS ^[5] human coders can manually code nearly any anatomically possible facial expression, deconstructing it into the specific action units (AU) and their temporal segments that produced the expression. As AUs are independent of any interpretation, they can be used for any higher order decision making process including recognition of basic emotions, or pre-programmed commands for an ambient intelligent environment. The FACS Manual is over 500 pages in length and provides the AUs, as well as Ekman's interpretation of their meaning.

FACS defines AUs, which are a contraction or relaxation of one or more muscles. It also defines a number of Action Descriptors, which differ from AUs in that the authors of FACS have not specified the muscular basis for the action and have not distinguished specific behaviors as precisely as they have for the AUs.

When you are Facial Action Coding System 7 fIntroduction to Facial Measurement satisfied that you can make the AU, do it repeatedly and study the effects it has on the surface of your face. If you have difficulty, try making the AU on only one side of your face. If possible, add the action on the other side. Paul Ekman was born to Jewish parents in 1934. Facial Action Coding System/Investigator’s ISBN. Pdf 12 Ekman,P.,Alife’spursuit.InTheSemioticWeb'86:An. Paul Ekman (born February 15, 1934) is an American psychologist who is a pioneer in the study of emotions and their relation to facial expressions. METT and SETT online tools. With 50 years of research and innovative study - Dr. Paul Ekman has developed this online training - based on reading micro facial. Download Facial Action Coding System. Share & Embed 'Facial Action Coding System' Please copy and paste this embed script to where you want to embed.

For example, FACS can be used to distinguish two types of smiles as follows:^[6]

• Insincere and voluntary Pan-Am smile: contraction of zygomatic major alone
• Sincere and involuntary Duchenne smile: contraction of zygomatic major and inferior part of orbicularis oculi.

Although the labeling of expressions currently requires trained experts, researchers have had some success in using computers to automatically identify FACS codes.^[7]Computer graphical face models, such as CANDIDE or Artnatomy, allow expressions to be artificially posed by setting the desired action units.

The use of FACS has been proposed for use in the analysis of depression,^[8] and the measurement of pain in patients unable to express themselves verbally.^[9]

FACS is designed to be self-instructional. People can learn the technique from a number of sources including manuals and workshops,^[10] and obtain certification through testing.^[11] The original FACS has been modified to analyze facial movements in several non-human primates, namely chimpanzees,^[12] rhesus macaques,^[13] gibbons and siamangs,^[14] and orangutans.^[15] More recently, it was developed also for domestic species, including the dog,^[16] the horse^[17] and the cat.^[18] Similarly to the human FACS, the animal FACS have manuals available online for each species with the respective certification tests.^[19]

Thus, FACS can be used to compare facial repertoires across species due to its anatomical basis. A study conducted by Vick and others (2006) suggests that FACS can be modified by taking differences in underlying morphology into account. Such considerations enable a comparison of the homologous facial movements present in humans and chimpanzees, to show that the facial expressions of both species result from extremely notable appearance changes. The development of FACS tools for different species allows the objective and anatomical study of facial expressions in communicative and emotional contexts. Furthermore, a cross-species analysis of facial expressions can help to answer interesting questions, such as which emotions are uniquely human.^[20]

EMFACS (Emotional Facial Action Coding System)^[21] and FACSAID (Facial Action Coding System Affect Interpretation Dictionary)^[22] consider only emotion-related facial actions. Examples of these are:

Codes for action units[edit]

For clarification, FACS is an index of facial expressions, but does not actually provide any bio-mechanical information about the degree of muscle activation. Though muscle activation is not part of FACS, the main muscles involved in the facial expression have been added here for the benefit of the reader.

Action units (AUs) are the fundamental actions of individual muscles or groups of muscles.

Action descriptors (ADs) are unitary movements that may involve the actions of several muscle groups (e.g., a forward‐thrusting movement of the jaw). The muscular basis for these actions hasn't been specified and specific behaviors haven't been distinguished as precisely as for the AUs.

For most accurate annotation, FACS suggests agreement from at least two independent certified FACS encoders.

Intensity scoring[edit]

Intensities of FACS are annotated by appending letters A–E (for minimal-maximal intensity) to the action unit number (e.g. AU 1A is the weakest trace of AU 1 and AU 1E is the maximum intensity possible for the individual person).

• A Trace
• B Slight
• C Marked or pronounced
• D Severe or extreme
• E Maximum

Other letter modifiers[edit]

There are other modifiers present in FACS codes for emotional expressions, such as 'R' which represents an action that occurs on the right side of the face and 'L' for actions which occur on the left. An action which is unilateral (occurs on only one side of the face) but has no specific side is indicated with a 'U' and an action which is unilateral but has a stronger side is indicated with an 'A.'

List of action units and action descriptors (with underlying facial muscles)[edit]

Main codes[edit]

Head movement codes[edit]

Eye movement codes[edit]

Visibility codes[edit]

Gross behavior codes[edit]

These codes are reserved for recording information about gross behaviors that may be relevant to the facial actions that are scored.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Hjortsjö CH (1969). Man's face and mimic language. free download: Carl-Herman Hjortsjö, Man's face and mimic language'
2. ^Ekman P, Friesen W (1978). Facial Action Coding System: A Technique for the Measurement of Facial Movement. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press.
3. ^Ekman P, Friesen WV, Hager JC (2002). Facial Action Coding System: The Manual on CD ROM. Salt Lake City: A Human Face.
4. ^ ^abHamm J, Kohler CG, Gur RC, Verma R (September 2011). 'Automated Facial Action Coding System for dynamic analysis of facial expressions in neuropsychiatric disorders'. Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 200 (2): 237–56. doi:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2011.06.023. PMC3402717. PMID21741407.
5. ^Ramachandran VS (2012). 'Microexpression and macroexpression'. In Ramachandran VS (ed.). Encyclopedia of Human Behavior. 2. Oxford: Elsevier/Academic Press. pp. 173–183. ISBN978-0-12-375000-6.
6. ^Del Giudice M, Colle L (May 2007). 'Differences between children and adults in the recognition of enjoyment smiles'. Developmental Psychology. 43 (3): 796–803. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.43.3.796. PMID17484588.
7. ^Facial Action Coding System. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
8. ^Reed LI, Sayette MA, Cohn JF (November 2007). 'Impact of depression on response to comedy: a dynamic facial coding analysis'. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 116 (4): 804–9. CiteSeerX10.1.1.307.6950. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.116.4.804. PMID18020726.
9. ^Lints-Martindale AC, Hadjistavropoulos T, Barber B, Gibson SJ (2007). 'A psychophysical investigation of the facial action coding system as an index of pain variability among older adults with and without Alzheimer's disease'. Pain Medicine. 8 (8): 678–89. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4637.2007.00358.x. PMID18028046.
10. ^Rosenberg EL. 'Example and web site of one teaching professional'. Archived from the original on 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
11. ^'Facial Action Coding System'. Paul Ekman Group. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
12. ^Parr LA, Waller BM, Vick SJ, Bard KA (February 2007). 'Classifying chimpanzee facial expressions using muscle action'. Emotion. 7 (1): 172–81. doi:10.1037/1528-3542.7.1.172. PMC2826116. PMID17352572.
13. ^Parr LA, Waller BM, Burrows AM, Gothard KM, Vick SJ (December 2010). 'Brief communication: MaqFACS: A muscle-based facial movement coding system for the rhesus macaque'. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 143 (4): 625–30. doi:10.1002/ajpa.21401. PMC2988871. PMID20872742.
14. ^Waller BM, Lembeck M, Kuchenbuch P, Burrows AM, Liebal K (2012). 'GibbonFACS: A Muscle-Based Facial Movement Coding System for Hylobatids'. International Journal of Primatology. 33 (4): 809–821. doi:10.1007/s10764-012-9611-6.
15. ^Caeiro CC, Waller BM, Zimmermann E, Burrows AM, Davila-Ross M (2012). 'OrangFACS: A Muscle-Based Facial Movement Coding System for Orangutans (Pongo spp.)'. International Journal of Primatology. 34: 115–129. doi:10.1007/s10764-012-9652-x.
16. ^Waller BM, Peirce K, Caeiro CC, Scheider L, Burrows AM, McCune S, Kaminski J (2013). 'Paedomorphic facial expressions give dogs a selective advantage'. PLOS ONE. 8 (12): e82686. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...882686W. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0082686. PMC3873274. PMID24386109.
17. ^Wathan J, Burrows AM, Waller BM, McComb K (2015-08-05). 'EquiFACS: The Equine Facial Action Coding System'. PLOS ONE. 10 (8): e0131738. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1031738W. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0131738. PMC4526551. PMID26244573.
18. ^Caeiro CC, Burrows AM, Waller BM (2017-04-01). 'Development and application of CatFACS: Are human cat adopters influenced by cat facial expressions?'(PDF). Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 189: 66–78. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2017.01.005. ISSN0168-1591.
19. ^'Home'. animalfacs.com. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
20. ^Vick SJ, Waller BM, Parr LA, Smith Pasqualini MC, Bard KA (March 2007). 'A Cross-species Comparison of Facial Morphology and Movement in Humans and Chimpanzees Using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS)'. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 31 (1): 1–20. doi:10.1007/s10919-006-0017-z. PMC3008553. PMID21188285.
21. ^Friesen W, Ekman P (1983), EMFACS-7: Emotional Facial Action Coding System. Unpublished manuscript, 2, University of California at San Francisco, p. 1
22. ^'Facial Action Coding System Affect Interpretation Dictionary (FACSAID)'. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2011-02-23.

External links[edit]

Paul Ekman Facial Coding System

• download of Carl-Herman Hjortsjö, Man's face and mimic language' (the original Swedish title of the book is: 'Människans ansikte och mimiska språket'. The correct translation would be: 'Man's face and facial language')

• 25.06.2019

Paul Ekman Facial Expressions Study

Facial Action Coding System/Investigators Guide Part 1/6701 by Paul Ekman

The Facial Action Coding System FACS is an internationally recognized, sophisticated research tool that precisely measures the entire spectrum of human facial expressions. FACS has elucidated the physiological presence of emotion with very high levels of reliability. Created in the s by psychologists Paul Ekman and Wallace V. Friesen FACS provides a comprehensive taxonomy of human facial expressions. FACS remains the most widely used and acclaimed method for coding the minutest movements of the human face. The system dissects observed expressions by determining how facial muscle contractions alter appearance.

Traditionally a manual coding system , which quantifies all possible movements a person can make with his or her face. Recent advances in computer vision have allowed for reliable automated facial action coding. Below you can see the 20 Action Units offered in the most recent version of FaceReader as well as some frequently occurring or difficult action unit combinations. Some images have been zoomed in on the area of interest to explicitly show what muscle movement corresponds to the specific Facial Action Unit. Traditionally a very time-consuming task, reliable action unit coding is automated using FaceReader. Contributes to the emotions sadness, surprise, and fear, and to the affective attitude interest. Muscular basis: frontalis pars medialis.

The FACS as we know it today was first published in , but was substantially updated in Using FACS, we are able to determine the displayed emotion of a participant. This analysis of facial expressions is one of very few techniques available for assessing emotions in real-time fEMG is another option. Other measures, such as interviews and psychometric tests, must be completed after a stimulus has been presented. Researchers have for a long time been limited to manually coding video recordings of participants according to the action units described by the FACS.

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New facial expressions uncovered

FACS is used across many different personal and professional settings. It is often used in various scientific settings for research. It is also used by animators and computer scientists interested in facial recognition. FACS may also enable greater awareness and sensitivity to subtle facial behaviors. Such skills are useful for psychotherapists, interviewers, and anyone working in communications. It also describes how AUs appear in combinations. The Paul Ekman Group offers the manual for sale.