Question

why was it so important for paul ekman and his colleagues to conduct research on the universality of facial expressions of emotion with the fore tribe, an isolated society in the hills of papua new guinea?

Answer 1

Paul Ekman's research with the Fore tribe in Papua New Guinea provided evidence that facial expressions of emotion are universal across cultures, supporting Charles Darwin's 19th-century hypothesis on the innate nature of emotional expressions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The importance of Paul Ekman's research on the universality of facial expressions of emotion with the Fore tribe in Papua New Guinea was to demonstrate that the ability to recognize and produce facial expressions of emotion is a universal trait that transcends cultural boundaries. Ekman's pioneering work involved an isolated preliterate culture using stone implements and had no previous contact with outsiders.

By asking a member of the Fore tribe to express various emotions through facial expressions, Ekman aimed to show that even without exposure to other cultures, people could still accurately express and recognize emotions such as happiness, surprise, sadness, fright, disgust, contempt, and anger, which support the hypothesis presented by Charles Darwin in the 19th century. Additionally, findings indicated that even congenitally blind individuals produce the same facial expressions of emotions, further evidencing the universality of these expressions.