INTER-EMOTION COMPARISONS OF FACIALLY EXPRESSED EMOTION INTENSITIES: DYNAMIC RANGES AND GENERAL-PURPOSE RULES.

The possibility of comparing qualitatively different dimensions on a common unit scale, either regarding its importance or its magnitude levels, is offered in functional measurement by the averaging model. Using distinct emotions as factors and different intensities of facially expressed emotion as levels in each factor, a general equal-weight averaging rule was found for all combinations of emotions in tasks that required subjects to judge overall intensity. Functional measurement of the factorial levels and factor weights followed, making possible to compare subjective dynamic ranges and spacing between levels of intensity across emotions. Several features of the data suggest the need to refine on the type of experimental task used, and a probable default character of the rule found.