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Department of Marketing


Facial Expression Intelligence Scale (FEIS): Recognizing and Interpreting Facial Expressions and Implications for Consumer Behavior*

 Abstract: Each time we meet a new person, we draw inferences based on our impressions. The first thing we are likely to notice is a person’s face. The face functions as one source of information, which we combine with the spoken word, body language, past experience, and the context of the situation to form judgments. Facial expressions serve as pieces of information we use to understand what another person is thinking, saying, or feeling. While there is strong support for the universality of emotion recognition, the ability to identify and interpret facial expressions varies by individual. Existing scales fail to include the dynamicity of the face. Four studies are proposed to examine the viability of the Facial Expression Intelligence Scale (FEIS) to measure individual ability to identify and interpret facial expressions. Consumer behavior implications are discussed.

Food Science and Technology

Time duration of iron-induced metallic flavor in the presence of bovine lactoferrin*

The occurrence of metallic flavor in the food and water supplies can have a detrimental effect on susceptible populations.  Metallic flavor can also be a side effect of cancer therapies and of medications for treatment of other chronic conditions that leads to decreased nutrition and, ultimately, low survival rates. The objective of this research was to decrease the perception of metallic flavor using lactoferrin, an iron-binding protein found in saliva. FaceReader and Observer, a facial recognition software widely used in criminal justice work, was evaluated as a potential tool in sensory evaluation.

 There currently are no effective interventions to address taste and odor dysfunctions, including metallic flavor perception, which affect an increasing sector of the population. Prescribing lactoferrin tablets to cancer patients as well as to aging individuals who suffer from metallic flavor-related conditions would provide a cost-effective treatment that could promote improved nutrition.

 

*submitted for publication

For information on how the Teaching and Learning Lab can help enhance your research, contact:

Rick Rudd