Emotion recognition test: method
Forced-choice facial expression labelling task (seven categories), with original synthetic portraits
Scorer version: 1 (stimulus bank synthetic-faces-v1)
← Back to the testWhat it measures
Agreement between the visitor's label and the intended (portrayed) expression category of static synthetic faces. Not a measure of emotional intelligence, empathy or social functioning.
Procedure
All images are loaded before the start (20 s load time-out). 21 portraits of 12 synthetic identities: 6 emotions (happy, sad, angry, fearful, surprised, disgusted) at 3 portrayed intensities (subtle, moderate, strong), plus 3 neutral portraits; the order is shuffled per run from a seed. Each portrait stays until the answer; seven label buttons in fixed positions (keys 1–7 also work); 250 ms gap; no feedback and no practice. Leaving the tab or window, or giving no answer within 10 minutes, interrupts the run. A share link reproduces the same portraits in the same order.
Parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Portraits | 21 (18 emotional + 3 neutral) |
| Identities | 12 synthetic |
| Labels | happy, sad, angry, fearful, surprised, disgusted, neutral |
| Intensities | subtle, moderate, strong (1 portrait each per emotion) |
| Inter-trial gap | 250 ms |
| Maximum time per portrait | 10 min (then the run is interrupted) |
| Feedback during play | none |
| Stimulus bank | synthetic-faces-v1 (digest 8bfc9ab828e7450e) |
Scoring
Accuracy = correct labels / 21 × 100 (percent, higher is better). Also reported: accuracy per category (3 portraits per category) and per intensity (6 portraits each for subtle, moderate and strong; 3 neutral). Response times are recorded but not scored. Comparison with other players is shown as a below/typical/above band from first, unflagged runs of the same stimulus version.
Valid-run rules
A complete run of 21 answers is required, each one of the seven labels, with the stimulus-bank version the page received; otherwise the run is rejected. Interrupted runs are not scored.
Differences from the classic task
Classic tasks use photographs of posed expressions from validated sets, and audiovisual tests such as the GERT-S use dynamic portrayals with voice and body. This game uses original computer-generated still portraits whose intended labels and intensities were set by the makers and checked by eye, not validated on raters; there are few items per cell and no time pressure.
Limitations
Intended labels are not validated, and some portrayals may be ambiguous. 3 to 6 items per breakdown cell make those values unreliable. Image size and screen quality affect subtle expressions. Expression categories and their words differ across cultures and languages, and a face alone is a weak cue to inner emotion (Barrett et al., 2019). Repeating the fixed set adds familiarity. Not a clinical measure.
Languages and review status
Language-independent images; the seven labels and the instructions are translated into all site languages, so the meaning of a label can shift slightly between languages.
Review status by instruction language
Published instruction languages are listed below. Translation method: machine-assisted translation with automated script and spelling checks. Language-specific material is described above; native-speaker review is not documented here.
| Instruction language | Documented review status |
|---|---|
| English | Original English text. |
| Afaan Oromoo | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Afrikaans | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Akan | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Azərbaycan dili | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Bahasa Indonesia | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Bahasa Melayu | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Bosanski | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Català | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Čeština | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Chichewa | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| ChiShona | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Dansk | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Deutsch | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Eesti | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Español | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Filipino | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Français | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Galego | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Hausa | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Hmoob | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Hrvatski | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Igbo | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Ikinyarwanda | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| isiXhosa | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| isiZulu | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Italiano | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Kiswahili | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Kurmancî | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Latviešu | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Lietuvių | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Lingála | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Magyar | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Malagasy | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Nederlands | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Norsk bokmål | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Oʻzbekcha | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Polski | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Português | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Română | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Sesotho | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Setswana | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Shqip | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Slovenčina | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Slovenščina | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Soomaali | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Srpski | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Suomi | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Svenska | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Tiếng Việt | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Türkçe | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Türkmençe | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Yorùbá | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Ελληνικά | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Български | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Кыргызча | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Қазақ тілі | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Македонски | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Монгол | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Русский | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Татарча | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Тоҷикӣ | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Українська | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| ქართული | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| Հայերեն | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| עברית | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| ئۇيغۇرچە | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| اردو | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| العربية | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| پښتو | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| پنجابی | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| سنڌي | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| فارسی | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| کوردیی ناوەندی | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| ትግርኛ | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| አማርኛ | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| कोंकणी | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| नेपाली | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| मराठी | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| मैथिली | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| हिन्दी | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| অসমীয়া | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| বাংলা | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| ਪੰਜਾਬੀ | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| ગુજરાતી | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| ଓଡ଼ିଆ | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| தமிழ் | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| తెలుగు | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| ಕನ್ನಡ | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| മലയാളം | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| සිංහල | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| ไทย | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| ລາວ | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| မြန်မာ | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| ខ្មែរ | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| 한국어 | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| 日本語 | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| 简体中文 | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| 粵語 | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
| 繁體中文 | Automated script and spelling checks; native-speaker review not documented. |
How to cite
Helibrain (2026). Emotion recognition test, v1. https://helibrain.com/emotion-recognition-test/methods
Changelog
· Version 1 · Initial methods publication for the current released task.
References
Ekman, P., Sorenson, E. R., & Friesen, W. V. (1969). Pan-cultural elements in facial displays of emotion. Science, 164(3875), 86–88.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.164.3875.86origin of forced-choice expression labelling
Ekman, P., & Friesen, W. V. (1971). Constants across cultures in the face and emotion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 17(2), 124–129.
https://doi.org/10.1037/h0030377basic-emotion categories
Schlegel, K., & Scherer, K. R. (2016). Introducing a short version of the Geneva Emotion Recognition Test (GERT-S): Psychometric properties and construct validation. Behavior Research Methods, 48(4), 1383–1392.
https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-015-0646-4validated multimodal emotion recognition test (comparison)
Barrett, L. F., Adolphs, R., Marsella, S., Martinez, A. M., & Pollak, S. D. (2019). Emotional expressions reconsidered: Challenges to inferring emotion from human facial movements. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 20(1), 1–68.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100619832930limits of inferring emotion from faces
Methods text: CC BY 4.0. Attribute Helibrain and link to this method. Source datasets and task material keep their own licences; this licence covers the methods text.
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