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The Effect of Surgical Masks on the Featural and Configural Processing of Emotions

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  • Natale Maiorana

    (Aldo Ravelli Research Center for Neurotechnology and Experimental Brain Therapeutics, Department of Health Science, University of Milan, Via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142 Milan, Italy)

  • Michelangelo Dini

    (Aldo Ravelli Research Center for Neurotechnology and Experimental Brain Therapeutics, Department of Health Science, University of Milan, Via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142 Milan, Italy)

  • Barbara Poletti

    (Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Piazzale Brescia, 20, 20149 Milan, Italy)

  • Sofia Tagini

    (Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Piazzale Brescia, 20, 20149 Milan, Italy)

  • Maria Rita Reitano

    (ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, San Paolo University Hospital, Via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142 Milan, Italy)

  • Gabriella Pravettoni

    (Department of Oncology and Hematology-Oncology, University of Milan, Via Festa del Perdono, 7, 20122 Milan, Italy
    Psycho-Oncology Division, IRCCS-Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Via G. Ripamonti, 435, 20141 Milan, Italy)

  • Alberto Priori

    (Aldo Ravelli Research Center for Neurotechnology and Experimental Brain Therapeutics, Department of Health Science, University of Milan, Via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142 Milan, Italy
    ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, San Paolo University Hospital, Via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142 Milan, Italy)

  • Roberta Ferrucci

    (Aldo Ravelli Research Center for Neurotechnology and Experimental Brain Therapeutics, Department of Health Science, University of Milan, Via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142 Milan, Italy
    ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, San Paolo University Hospital, Via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142 Milan, Italy
    Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico di Milano, Via F. Sforza, 35, 20122 Milan, Italy)

Abstract

From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of surgical masks became widespread. However, they occlude an important part of the face and make it difficult to decode and interpret other people’s emotions. To clarify the effect of surgical masks on configural and featural processing, participants completed a facial emotion recognition task to discriminate between happy, sad, angry, and neutral faces. Stimuli included fully visible faces, masked faces, and a cropped photo of the eyes or mouth region. Occlusion due to the surgical mask affects emotion recognition for sadness, anger, and neutral faces, although no significative differences were found in happiness recognition. Our findings suggest that happiness is recognized predominantly via featural processing.

Suggested Citation

  • Natale Maiorana & Michelangelo Dini & Barbara Poletti & Sofia Tagini & Maria Rita Reitano & Gabriella Pravettoni & Alberto Priori & Roberta Ferrucci, 2022. "The Effect of Surgical Masks on the Featural and Configural Processing of Emotions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-12, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:4:p:2420-:d:753729
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Martin Wegrzyn & Maria Vogt & Berna Kireclioglu & Julia Schneider & Johanna Kissler, 2017. "Mapping the emotional face. How individual face parts contribute to successful emotion recognition," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(5), pages 1-15, May.
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