title: Language and the perception of emotion.
abstract: Three studies assessed the relationship between language and the perception of emotion. The authors predicted and found that the accessibility of emotion words influenced participants' speed or accuracy in perceiving facial behaviors depicting emotion. Specifically, emotion words were either primed or temporarily made less accessible using a semantic satiation procedure. In Studies 1 and 2, participants were slower to categorize facial behaviors depicting emotion (i.e., a face depicting anger) after an emotion word (e.g., "anger") was satiated. In Study 3, participants were less accurate to categorize facial behaviors depicting emotion after an emotion word was satiated. The implications of these findings for a linguistically relative view of emotion perception are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA. lindqukr@bc.edu
authors.forename: Kristen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Lindquist
authors.forename: Lisa Feldman
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: Eliza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bliss-Moreau
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Russell
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D004644:Emotions; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time; D012660:Semantics; D012938:Social Perception; D014481:United States