Date of Award

1996

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

The study was designed to determine whether there was a difference in the ability of congenitally blind and sighted adults to produce facial affects. Upon instruction, 16 sighted and 16 blind adults individually posed six facial affects that were captured on slide film producing 192 slides. The sample was composed of 44 graduate students in agency counseling, counselingPsychology, and school counseling. During a 10-second period of viewing each slide, participants were required to select which of the six facial affects they were viewing. Results revealed that sighted males and females performed better than blind males and females. It was also demonstrated that female participants performed better at assessing the affects of fear, surprise, and disgust. Age and program (counselingPsychology, agency counseling and school counseling) had no effect in assessing facial affects under the conditions of this study. It was also demonstrated that sighted and blind have recognition patterns that can be considered parallel. Finally, there was evidence that both male and female participants confused the affects of fear and surprise.

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