The Use of the Duchenne Marker and Symmetry of the Expression in the Judgment of Smiles in Schizophrenia

Abstract Research has recurrently shown that individuals with schizophrenia have impairments in emotional facial recognition and this deficit has been associated with aberrant visual scanning of the face. Because human beings have the ability to control the expression of emotion, the communication process becomes more complex. The goal of the current study was to conduct a systematic examination of the response pattern and perceptual-attentional processing in distinguishing smiles with the presence and absence of the Duchenne marker and symmetry and asymmetry of the activation in individuals with schizophrenia. Sixteen individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and 16 control individuals were asked to judge whether the smiles were really happy or not. Individuals with schizophrenia produced fewer expected responses than controls in judging the symmetric non-Duchenne smile as not really happy. In addition, like their healthy counterparts, individuals with schizophrenia showed difficulty with the judgement of asymmetric Duchenne smiles. In addition to not being as sensitive to the cues, individuals with schizophrenia show differences in their viewing patterns. While the current study does not provide clear links between these viewing patterns and judgment responses, future research should explore other explanations, such as explicit knowledge, for the differences in results.