Dimensionality of the Semantic Space for Communication via Facial Expressions

Facial expressions were posed by student actors and labeled by student judges, the judges being restricted to the same labels as were given to the actors. Factor analyses yielded evidence for three major dimensions resembling those proposed by Schlosberg (1954): Pleasantness, Activation, and Control. A hypothetical emotional‐expression solid, a pyramid truncated at the far end (passive direction), is proposed as a resolution of recent controversies over the number and nature of dimensions. Cluster analyses confirm the existence of some seven to ten regions within this space, densely populated with quasi‐synonymous states, which warrant identification as ‘primary affects’.