Multidimensional comparisons of structures of vocally and facially expressed emotion

Abstract

The cognitive structure of vocally expressed emotion was examined using a nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis and a factor analysis of seven tone-of-voice rating scales. A canonical correlation analysis suggested that the same two dimensions clearly emerged from these analyses, pleasant-unpleasant and excitement. These two general dimensions were each highly related to single tone-of-voice rating scales, those for pleasantness and thinness, respectively. The two dimensions of pleasant-unpleasant and excitement were shown to correspond to the facial expression scales of pleasant-unpleasant and attention-rejection developed by Engen, Levy, and Schlosberg in 1958. When the stimuli for both vocally and facially expressed emotion were mapped together on a two-dimensional space, notable differences became apparent. An attempt to interpret some of these differences was made. © 1975 Psychonomic Society, Inc.