Penelitian-penelitian sebelumnya telah menunjukkan hasil yang ambigu mengenai pencarian visual untuk ekspresi-ekspresi wajah emosional. Bukti menunjukkan deteksi efisien dan akurat baik untuk wajah senang maupun wajah marah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menginvestigasi efisiensi pencarian dalam mendeteksi ekspresi senang dan marah sebagaimana diindikasikan oleh waktu respon dalam ukuran kelompok yang bermacam-macam. Dua-puluh-enam mahasiswa psikologi tingkat satu di University of Queensland ditampilkan wajah-wajah fotografik. Wajah senang bermulut terbuka dideteksi sama tidak efisiennya dengan wajah marah bermulut terbuka dengan orientasi tegak dan terbalik. Sebaliknya, bukti menunjukkan bahwa wajah senang sumringah dideteksi secara lebih efisien daripada wajah marah bermulut terbuka di orientasi tegak, tapi tidak ketika wajah-wajah itu dibalik orientasinya.

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Previous studies had shown equivocal results regarding visual search for emotional facial expressions. Evidence suggested either an efficient and accurate detection for happy or angry faces. The present study aimed to investigate search efficiency in detecting happy and angry expressions as indicated by response times across the size of the faces (set sizes). Twenty-six first-year psychology students at The University of Queensland were presented photographic faces. Open-mouth happy faces were found to be detected as slowly and inaccurately as open-mouth angry faces in upright and upside-down (i.e., inverted) orientations. Conversely, it was evident that exuberantly happy faces were detected more efficiently than open-mouth angry faces in upright orientation, but not when they were inverted.