Mobus project-assistive technology for improving cognition and autonomy of patients with schizophrenia

Abstract

Facial affective behaviour of patients with schizophrenia was studied in thirty-two video recorded clinical interviews. Facial affectivity was operationalised by Emotion Facial Action Coding System. The stability over time of facial affective expressions was evaluated. For the patients, no substantial changes in the amount of affects were found across all the interview occasions. Whereas previous findings found contempt to be the most frequent affect in patients, in the present material disgust expressions was as common, but depended on the interviewer.Introduction: Studies of facial behaviour have shown a reduction of facial expressiveness and of facial affective expressiveness in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.