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FACES—A database of facial expressions in young, middle-aged, and older women and men: Development and validation

Behavior Research Methods volume 42, pages 351–362 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Faces are widely used as stimuli in various research fields. Interest in emotion-related differences and age-associated changes in the processing of faces is growing. With the aim of systematically varying both expression and age of the face, we created FACES, a database comprising N=171 naturalistic faces of young, middle-aged, and older women and men. Each face is represented with two sets of six facial expressions (neutrality, sadness, disgust, fear, anger, and happiness), resulting in 2,052 individual images. A total of N=154 young, middleaged, and older women and men rated the faces in terms of facial expression and perceived age. With its large age range of faces displaying different expressions, FACES is well suited for investigating developmental and other research questions on emotion, motivation, and cognition, as well as their interactions. Information on using FACES for research purposes can be found at http://faces.mpib-berlin.mpg.de.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195, Berlin, Germany

    Natalie C. Ebner, Michaela Riediger & Ulman Lindenberger

Authors
  1. Natalie C. Ebner
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  2. Michaela Riediger
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  3. Ulman Lindenberger
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Natalie C. Ebner, Michaela Riediger or Ulman Lindenberger.

Additional information

This research was funded by and conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.

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Ebner, N.C., Riediger, M. & Lindenberger, U. FACES—A database of facial expressions in young, middle-aged, and older women and men: Development and validation. Behavior Research Methods 42, 351–362 (2010). https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.42.1.351

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.42.1.351

Keywords

  • Facial Expression
  • Face Model
  • International Affective Picture System
  • Facial Expres
  • International Affective Picture System Picture