The processing of emotional expression and identity in faces

This paper reviewed the relationship existing between the recognition of emotional expressions and identities in faces. First, we reviewed the studies which suggested that the recognition of expressions and identities was mediated through independent processes. Although this hypothesis of independence was supported in several areas of research, recent studies suggested that two of these processes were not completely independent. Therefore, we reviewed the studies which supported the idea that there was an interaction of the processing of expressions and identities. Finally, we argued that future studies should focus on the individual differences of the interaction of expressions and identities using a selective attention paradigm to contribute to the issues of social communication