Comparison of recognition of facial manifestations of basic emotions in people with early-onset and late-onset conduct disorders

Dissertation for Master's Degree in Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to compare facial recognition of basic emotions in people with early-onset and late-onset behavior disorders. The research method was descriptive. The statistical population of the research consisted of all students with early-onset and late-onset conduct disorder who were studying in Tehran schools in the academic year of 1992-1993. Using the purposeful sampling method, 30 students with conduct disorder (21 with early-onset conduct disorder and 9 with late-onset conduct disorder) were selected through the teacher's report form and the child behavior inventory scale of the Achenbach test (2001). The results showed that there is no significant difference between people with early-onset and late-onset conduct disorder in recognizing expressions of emotional faces, and the response pattern was the same in both groups.

Key words: late-onset conduct disorder, early-onset conduct disorder, recognition of emotional facial expressions. Solving the problems of this age group is not only a treatment, but also a form of prevention (McCartney and Phillips [1], 2006). In many cases, the unresolved problems of these people turn into more complex problems in the future and diminish the hope of treatment (Lebo [2], 2005).

According to numerous statistical surveys, one of the major childhood disorders that cause referrals to mental health specialists are behavioral disorders, and among these, the most common type of behavioral disorders is conduct disorder [3] (Richardson and Jagin [4], 2002). According to the Fifth Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders[5], the main criterion for diagnosing conduct disorder is focused on weak control of behaviors that violate the rights of others and basic social norms. The prevalence rate of conduct disorder increases from childhood to adolescence and is higher in men than women. The onset of this disorder after the age of 16 is rare. Many people with conduct disorder, especially those with late-onset conduct disorder[6], achieve social and occupational adjustment, while the early-onset group[7] have a worse prognosis and there is an increased risk of criminal behavior and drug-related disorders in adulthood in this group (American Psychiatric Association[8], 2013). No single factor can justify antisocial behavior and conduct disorder, but many biological-psychological-social factors play a role in the emergence of this disorder (Saduk and Saduk[9], 2003, translated by Rafiei and Rezaei, 2017)

According to Fairchild[10] et al. The emotion of the face [11]. Fairchild et al. (2010) believe that people with conduct disorder show higher scores in the scales of antisociality [12] and cruel-unemotional traits [13]. In their study, they proved that these personality traits affect the recognition of facial expressions of emotion. Since the early 1980s; Several studies were conducted on the recognition of facial expressions of emotions among children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders. Most previous studies have focused on autism disorder (Collin [15], 2013).

As soon as we meet a new person for the first time, we often make inferences about his emotional state and specific characteristics (Martelli, Majib and Pili [16], 2005) and from this observation, information about the emotional states of the face, the level of attractiveness of the person and the level of his trustworthiness are extracted. (Abdul Rahman [17], 2011). This information directly affects our subsequent reactions with the other person (Bailey[18] et al., 2011). Willis and Todoro[19] (2006) in a research asked their experimental group to look at images of faces for 100 thousandths of a second, 500 thousandths of a second, 1 second, or an unlimited amount of time and evaluate the trustworthiness, likability and aggressiveness of the face. These people get a correct assessment of the trustworthiness of a face within 100 thousandths of a second.

Humans perceive facial expressions much faster than gender, and the fast behavioral response in humans is related to negative emotions (Bailey et al., 2011).The faces of angry men are discovered faster than happy men and angry women; Because angry men are more threatening than angry women (Amado[20] et al., 2011). Reading others' emotional states negatively is a sign of fight-or-flight responses (Adolphs [21], 2003; Schopp [22] et al., 2006). In an interesting research, Stins[23] et al. (2011) tested the behavioral response of people after seeing happy faces versus angry faces. The results showed that people very easily went towards happy faces and away from angry faces, and they hesitated when they were asked to go towards angry faces. These findings indicate the existence of a physical instinct that avoids danger by running away from anger and angry people.

At the neurological level, distinct brain regions encode and identify information and facial emotional expressions. Faces are an important interpersonal communication channel of feelings and thoughts between people. The ability to understand and respond to facial cues is a fundamental skill that people must acquire in order to be present in their social environment (Tanaka[24] et al., 2003). Recognizing facial expressions of basic emotions is an ability to determine facial emotions or distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar faces. Recognizing facial manifestations of basic emotions affects social performance, communication with peers, and behavior, and is important for useful and beneficial interaction with others and for active participation in social environments (Korkmaz [25], 2011). Deficits in emotion recognition are the underlying cause of behavioral problems (Schovink[26] et al., 2014). The findings suggest that the tendency to aggressive behavior in people with conduct disorder may originate from defects in the recognition of emotional stimuli and the cognitive control of emotional behavior (Strzer[27] et al., 2005). Behavior based on the fifth diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders:

- Violation of people and animals

- Destruction of property

- Fraud or theft

- Serious violations of laws

Division of conduct disorder based on the age of onset of the disorder:

- Type that begins in childhood (early-onset conduct disorder): At least one of the specific criteria of conduct disorder begins before the age of 10.

- Adolescent-onset type (late-onset conduct disorder): None of the specific criteria for conduct disorder exist before the age of 10.

- Unspecified onset type[28]: There are diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder, but there is not enough information available to determine whether the first symptoms were seen before the age of 10 or after the age of 10 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

People with a disorder They have problems in behavior, social communication and communication with peers. One of the factors affecting social performance and communication with peers is the ability to recognize facial expressions of emotions (Morris [29] et al., 2009). The neural structures involved in recognizing facial expressions include the amygdala, frontal cingulate cortex (Blair [30] et al., 1999), visual cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and fusiform gyrus (Lepanen [31] et al., 2007). Neuropsychological tests have shown that children and adolescents with behavioral disorders have damage in the frontal area of ??the brain. This part of the brain is associated with the ability to plan, avoid harm, and learn from negative experiences. Neuroscience studies show that the amygdala is important and vital in processing faces and expressions of facial emotion (Sato[32], Kochiyama[33] and Yoshikawa[34], 2011). Davidson[35] and Slugter[36] (2000) also found evidence that the amygdala plays an important role in processing facial expressions. Studies show that in normal people, when observing the effects of emotional faces compared to neutral effects, especially in cases of negative emotions such as fear, the activity of the amygdala increases (Breiter[37] et al., 1996; Fitzgerald[38] et al., 2006).