The IBN SINA Robot World's first Arabic speaking robot, named after the famous

polymath Avicenna. Created at the Interactive Robots and Media Lab of the United Arab Emirates University.

Like several other robots, Ibn Sina seeks to interact with people, perhaps even at an “emotional” level. (Affective computing)

Kismet MIT

But what if these emotions are not universal? What if emotions are not “discrete”? What if

emotion is heavily influenced by culture?

THE UNIVERSAL FACIAL EXPRESSION VIEW HAS BEEN DOMINANT FOR FIFTY YEARS

• SAD, ANGER, FEAR, DISGUST, HAPPY, CONTEMPT AND OTHERS ARE EVOLUTIONARILY DICTATED ADAPTIVE SURVIVAL MECHANISMS

• Darwin• Tompkins• Ekman• Izard

BUT THERE ARE DISSIDENTSJames Russell

Marieke DeMoiiRachel Jack

THERE ARE NO DISCRETE EMOTIONS, THERE ARE

EMOTIONAL PATTERNS AND THE PATTERNING IS DIFFERENT AMONG CULTURES. E.G.

• BOTH CAMPS AGREE THERE ARE AT LEAST SOME DIFFERENCES; ALMOST 100 YEARS OF CROSS –CULTURAL RESEARCH ON FACIAL EXPRESSIONS HAS TURNED UP SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES. WHICH ARE MORE IMPORTANT??

PAUL EKMAN THINKS UNIVERSAL

• Experiment: Screening Passengers By Observation Technique (SPOT) at U.S. airports. Based on Universal Theory. Not one terrorist caught, lots of congressional criticism. Universal Theory looks to be premature for influencing technology.

SOME COMPANIES THINK IT IS THE DIFFERENCES THAT ARE MORE

IMPORTANT• This company tells us how to get along in Chin

a.• (Put cursor on above, right click, open hyperlink)

Walmart Had To Leave Germany Because of Smiling Clerks! Should they have paid

more attention to differences rather than universals?

EMOTION IN VARIOUS CULTURES

• We Need To Explore The Number and Patterns of Emotional Displays in Various Cultures Even If There are Universals. It is

important for Marketing, Cross-Cultural Communication, Catching Terrorists, and

Programming Robots!

Affective neuroscience and other emotion research should soon settle the issue of which is more important: universals or differences, and then we will all understand each other!