Published on behalf of the UCSD MSO Chapter
Author: Vincent Le
Editor: Winston Lee
Graphic Editor: Manjiia Zhao
“When Candide, the tender lover, saw his fair Cunegonde’s weather-beaten face, bloodshot eyes, withered breasts, wrinkled cheeks and red, scaly arms, he recoiled three paces in horror, but then he stepped forward out of politeness.”
The human development of facial recognition is a hallmark of their highly efficient communication, and the combination between linguistic pronunciation and facial expression gives humans this advantage. The reliance on facial recognition empowers the human cognition to recognize exact individuals and to sympathize with them when a situation requires it. Voltaire’s Candide dates back to the mid-1700s, yet the excerpt from the novel reveals that all humans are born with a universal skill to process facial expressions. In his description, Voltaire describes Candide’s examination of the long lost Cunegonde with chronological precision, presenting Cunegonde’s frail appearance with a “weather-beaten face” and “bloodshot eyes.” Candide’s attention is primarily drawn to the face to process the situation; he recognizes his lover, then, is taken aback after comprehending his lover’s grave condition, and immediately follows to sympathize.
The Candide example gives credence to an innate skill that has lived through the test of time. The human capability to use visual afferent information, specifically regarding facial features, and translate that into an appropriate response is remarkable. However, the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic challenges the development of this skill among the next generation. Since the pandemic is ongoing and the various long-term effects of it are not thoroughly studied, past studies reveal that early exposure to facial expression is indispensable to forming a strong foundation for both language and communication. First and foremost, the Psychology Department from North Dakota State University studied brain function and facial expertise among those who were raised in rural settings compared to those raised in urban ones. In their study, individuals raised in unpopulated rural communities had no visual impairments, but exhibited poorer facial memory which affected cognitive and social behavioral functions. A circumstantial reduction of facial expression exposure can have a profound effect on an individual’s social behavior and learning, up to and throughout adulthood. Thus, the reduction of facial expression in mask-required settings questions whether the pandemic imposes other lasting detriments to humans.
Unfortunately, during the pandemic, infants in their sensitive growth period are faced with sweeping health guidelines regarding mask-wearing, which could prolong or even limit cognitive development in facial recognition. Their ability to distinguish emotional facial expressions can be established only in a few days, and experiences during this sensitive growth period are consequential to their future development. This specific emotional communication development is generally referred to as ‘social referencing.’ Infants rely on social referencing to guide their behavior in mimicking actions that could prepare them for future social interactions. An article by The Brookings Institution presents an interesting example to describe social referencing known as the “visual cliff.” In the experiment, a mother is situated across a glass table holding a toy or an object of attraction with her infant child on the opposing end. In between the two is a perceived dangerous drop, referred to as the “cliff.” The mother’s facial expression is the independent variable, switching between a smiling face and a fearful face. When the mother is smiling, the baby races across the table. Inversely, the fearful face distills doubt, resulting in the baby not crossing the table. Therefore, facial communication can be very useful for early communication.
Facial features can aid in elemental forms of communication. However, when used in conjunction, language and emotions communicate context with more clarity. A Boston College research study finds that these two factors are dependent on each other. They found that the use of emotion words such as ‘happy,’ ‘fear,’ and ‘sad’ are amplified when used with a physical expression. In their experiment, a neutral face that could indicate both anger and happiness is matched with a word that categorizes the emotion. When the face is associated with ‘happy,’ the person is perceived to be happier than angry and vice versa. This test emphasizes the strength of language in categorizing facial expression for context. The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic removes the facial context and increases the dependence on language to communicate. In effect, infants— who are often too young to comprehend language—must overcome impediments in the early communication stages between parent and child. While the Boston College study references the importance of language on perceiving facial features, a Florida International University study researches the dependence of facial expression on language learning. In the first stages in which infants learn language, they demonstrate an association between facial expression and vocal expression; the accuracy of this association is known as congruence. The ability to demonstrate congruence arises during the first 5-months of an infant’s life, which is early in an infant’s sensitive period. Thus, infants ages 3 to 5 months-old will be significantly affected in their ability to translate emotional feeling into spoken communication.
Overall, the pandemic has ravaged communities across the globe. Its wide-ranging effects will influence reforms that would ensure a positive post-pandemic response as society normalizes. As infantile development crosses paths with collateral effects of mask-wearing, further research in medical guidelines and their long-term implications on infants could reveal a clearer solution for future implementations of these rules. Importantly, research in this area could help inform the general public on how to alleviate the learning impediments for infants at risk. Undoubtedly, COVID-19’s rapid influence on society and individuals are significant, but only the future could reveal the nebulous and greater long-term effects that remain.
