Temporal dynamics of smiling: Human versus synthetic faces

Studies concerned with the effects of temporal aspects of facial behavior have been restricted by methodological limitations. Using facial synthesizers such as Poser software allows one to create dynamic changes in facial expressions with precision. In previous experiments with synthetic humans, we have shown that temporal aspects of facial displays influence the perception of an expression and particularly, the perceived authenticity of a smile. Smiles with a longer onset- and offset-duration were judged as more genuine than their shorter counterparts, and authenticity ratings decreased the longer the smile was held at its apex (Krumhuber & Kappas, 2005). The present studies were designed to investigate the impact of these temporal characteristics of smiles on both person and expression perception and on judgments such as employment decisions. The results of these studies will be compared to those from studies using real faces and possible differences will be discussed