GorillaFACS: The Facial Action Coding System for the Gorilla spp.
The Facial Action Coding System (FACS) is an objective observation tool for measuring human facial behaviour. It avoids subjective attributions of meaning by objectively measuring independent movements linked to facial muscles, called Action Units (AUs). FACS has been adapted to 11 other taxa, inclu...
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| Format: | Article |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2025-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0308790 |
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| author | Catia Correia-Caeiro Raquel Costa Misato Hayashi Anne Burrows Jordan Pater Takako Miyabe-Nishiwaki Jack L Richardson Martha M Robbins Bridget Waller Katja Liebal |
| author_facet | Catia Correia-Caeiro Raquel Costa Misato Hayashi Anne Burrows Jordan Pater Takako Miyabe-Nishiwaki Jack L Richardson Martha M Robbins Bridget Waller Katja Liebal |
| author_sort | Catia Correia-Caeiro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Facial Action Coding System (FACS) is an objective observation tool for measuring human facial behaviour. It avoids subjective attributions of meaning by objectively measuring independent movements linked to facial muscles, called Action Units (AUs). FACS has been adapted to 11 other taxa, including most apes, macaques and domestic animals, but not yet gorillas. To carry out cross species studies of facial expressions within and beyond apes, gorillas need to be included in such studies. Hence, we developed the GorillaFACS for the Gorilla spp. We followed similar methodology as previous FACS: First, we examined the facial muscular plan of the gorilla. Second, we analysed gorilla videos in a wide variety of contexts to identify their spontaneous facial movements. Third, we classified the individual facial movements according to appearance changes produced by the corresponding underlying musculature. A diverse repertoire of 42 facial movements was identified in the gorilla, including 28 AUs and 14 Action Descriptors, with several new movements not identified in the HumanFACS. Although some of the movements in gorillas differ from humans, the total number of AUs is comparable to the HumanFACS (32 AUs). Importantly, the gorilla's range of facial movements was larger than expected, suggesting a more relevant role in social interactions than what was previously assumed. GorillaFACS is a scientific tool to measure facial movements, and thus, will allow us to better understand the gorilla's expressions and communication. Furthermore, GorillaFACS has the potential be used as an important tool to evaluate this species welfare, particularly in settings of close proximity to humans. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e250d6f08e714c798a8dd52f70cfc1aa |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-e250d6f08e714c798a8dd52f70cfc1aa2025-02-05T05:31:59ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01201e030879010.1371/journal.pone.0308790GorillaFACS: The Facial Action Coding System for the Gorilla spp.Catia Correia-CaeiroRaquel CostaMisato HayashiAnne BurrowsJordan PaterTakako Miyabe-NishiwakiJack L RichardsonMartha M RobbinsBridget WallerKatja LiebalThe Facial Action Coding System (FACS) is an objective observation tool for measuring human facial behaviour. It avoids subjective attributions of meaning by objectively measuring independent movements linked to facial muscles, called Action Units (AUs). FACS has been adapted to 11 other taxa, including most apes, macaques and domestic animals, but not yet gorillas. To carry out cross species studies of facial expressions within and beyond apes, gorillas need to be included in such studies. Hence, we developed the GorillaFACS for the Gorilla spp. We followed similar methodology as previous FACS: First, we examined the facial muscular plan of the gorilla. Second, we analysed gorilla videos in a wide variety of contexts to identify their spontaneous facial movements. Third, we classified the individual facial movements according to appearance changes produced by the corresponding underlying musculature. A diverse repertoire of 42 facial movements was identified in the gorilla, including 28 AUs and 14 Action Descriptors, with several new movements not identified in the HumanFACS. Although some of the movements in gorillas differ from humans, the total number of AUs is comparable to the HumanFACS (32 AUs). Importantly, the gorilla's range of facial movements was larger than expected, suggesting a more relevant role in social interactions than what was previously assumed. GorillaFACS is a scientific tool to measure facial movements, and thus, will allow us to better understand the gorilla's expressions and communication. Furthermore, GorillaFACS has the potential be used as an important tool to evaluate this species welfare, particularly in settings of close proximity to humans.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0308790 |
| spellingShingle | Catia Correia-Caeiro Raquel Costa Misato Hayashi Anne Burrows Jordan Pater Takako Miyabe-Nishiwaki Jack L Richardson Martha M Robbins Bridget Waller Katja Liebal GorillaFACS: The Facial Action Coding System for the Gorilla spp. PLoS ONE |
| title | GorillaFACS: The Facial Action Coding System for the Gorilla spp. |
| title_full | GorillaFACS: The Facial Action Coding System for the Gorilla spp. |
| title_fullStr | GorillaFACS: The Facial Action Coding System for the Gorilla spp. |
| title_full_unstemmed | GorillaFACS: The Facial Action Coding System for the Gorilla spp. |
| title_short | GorillaFACS: The Facial Action Coding System for the Gorilla spp. |
| title_sort | gorillafacs the facial action coding system for the gorilla spp |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0308790 |
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