Abstract: Current computerized tools allow detailed exploration of the structure and functioning of the "black box," i.e., human cognitive and affective systems as well as thought. This technology was used to study the visual perception of facially expressed emotions. Morphological transition from one canonical emotion to another led to the creation of a continuum of intermediary pictures, and the identification of perceived emotions by 65 normal subjects was measured. We call this application "MARIE" (in French: Méthode d'Analyse et de Recherche de l'Intégration des Emotions; Method of Study and Analysis of Integration of Emotions). Our study examined the relationship between the quantitative modification of the continuum and the quantitative variation of the responses. Standardization of graphs led to the assessment of the two parameters of a Laplace-Gauss curve, i.e., mean and standard deviation. It is argued that such a tool could be very useful in the clinical assessment of the emotional state of subjects and/or of patients.

Abstract: This article describes a simple and easy-using clinical tool for investigating the visual perception of emotions. The method was validated with healthy persons. On the one hand, the results confirm and sharpen the data of the literature. On the other hand, they enable a precise quantification of the results. Nevertheless, only the perception of the smile and sadness has been studied. Therefore, the extension and validation of this tool to other fundamental emotions is requested. This will enable a simple and easy clinical investigation of troubles of the visual recognition of emotions. On the one hand, for many neurological pathologies: strokes, neurologic disease. On the other hand for psychiatric pathologies: Korsakoff's syndrome, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, other dementias and as on.