“Facial Expressions of Contentment: Basic or Socially Constructed?”

Colin Hanzlik

Prior research on contentment facial expressions points towards them being universal and basic, however many such studies possess methodological issues. This proposed study would recruit participants from 5 cultures and ask them to free label the expressions of several emotions, modeled by persons of the 5 cultures, to better assess if contentment facial expressions are socially constructed. I predict that most participants would incorrectly label the contentment expression, providing evidence that they are socially constructed.

Major: 
Psychology (B.A.)
Exhibition Category: 
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Exhibition Format: 
Poster Presentation
Campus: 
University Park
Faculty Sponsor: 
Michelle Yarwood
Poster Number: 
16964