Recognition and Imitation of Facial Expressions

Six- to seven-year olds, nine- to ten-year olds, and college students from the United States and Zambia imitated happy, angry, afraid, and sad facial expressions depicted in photographs used extensively by Izard. Imitative efforts were less accurate when someone was present than when no one was present (social inhibition). The degree of social inhibition was the same at each age level for the Zambians but was significant only for the nine- to ten-year olds in the United States. Less accurate recognition by Zambians of the facial expressions shown in the photographs may have accounted for their less accurate imitative efforts. Other cross-cultural similarities and differences were reported and discussed.