CHILDRENS FACIAL RESPONSIVENESS TO ODORS - INFLUENCES OF HEDONIC VALENCE OF ODOR, GENDER, AGE, AND SOCIAL PRESENCE

Citation
R. Soussignan et B. Schaal, CHILDRENS FACIAL RESPONSIVENESS TO ODORS - INFLUENCES OF HEDONIC VALENCE OF ODOR, GENDER, AGE, AND SOCIAL PRESENCE, Developmental psychology, 32(2), 1996, pp. 367-379
Citations number
62
Categorie Soggetti
Psychology, Developmental
Journal title
ISSN journal
00121649
Volume
32
Issue
2
Year of publication
1996
Pages
367 - 379
Database
ISI
SICI code
0012-1649(1996)32:2<367:CFRTO->2.0.ZU;2-#
Abstract
Facial responsiveness to pleasant and unpleasant odors was examined in 5- to 12 year-old children in either an alone condition (AC)or a soci al presence condition (SPC). The children failed to display reflex-lik e patterns, but they exhibited facial configurations that varied accor ding to the odor valence and the social condition. Girls evinced more smiles than did boys, but this sex difference was significant only in response to unpleasant odors in the SPC. Furthermore, untrained observ ers were able to accurately identify the children's facial responses t o unpleasant odors in the AC only and to pleasant odors in the SPC onl y. These findings (a) suggest that facial responsiveness to odors is f lexible and able to reorganize when display rules operate and (b) supp ort the emotional and communicative functions of human facial behavior .