Description
This web activity consists of 24 questionnaire items, relating to different aspects of face and non-face perception. The items are listed in full below.
For each item, the twin was asked to select a response from a set of 5 options presented on screen as radio buttons. Questions could be answered either using mouse clicks (select response option then click on button to proceed) or by using the keyboard (select response with keyboard keys 1 to 5, then use the Enter key to proceed). The keyboard method of response was encouraged for consistency with the other activities in the battery.
Web Questionnaire Rules
This simple questionnaire had no special rules. The 24 items were presented on screen, one at a time, in a fixed order that was the same for all twins. All 24 items were compulsory: if an item was not answered, it was not possible to proceed to the next item. There was no branching, no discontinue rule, and no time-out rule.
The questionnaire was designed to be completed in one session. All responses were recorded in the browser (using javascript) and only submitted to the web server at the end of the questionnaire. Hence, if the questionnaire was halted mid-way through, for example by closing the browser, then all responses were lost; in this case, a twin would have to re-start the questionnaire from scratch on logging in again.
Dataset Item Variables
The item variables relating to the Perception Questionnaire, as listed in the table below, were generated automatically by programs on the web server, with a few exceptions. The exceptions are variable rcpasptime1/2 and the 8 reversed item response variables, all of which were derived during dataset construction, and are included here to complete the set of variables relating directly to this activity. Note that the dataset only includes data for completed questionnaires. If a twin started the questionnaire but left it unfinished, then the data were not submitted to the web server and were therefore not recorded. The start and end dates/times have not been retained in the dataset.
| Variables | Explanation | Values |
|---|---|---|
| rcpaspdata1/2 | Data flag: was the questionnaire completed? | 0=no, 1=yes |
| rcpaspsttm1/2 | Start date and time of the questionnaire [not in dataset] | Date-time values |
| rcpaspentm1/2 | End date and time of the questionnaire [not in dataset] | Date-time values |
| rcpasptime1/2 | Time interval from start to end of the questionnaire [DERIVED VARIABLE] | Minutes (decimal values) |
| rcpasp011/2 through to rcpasp241/2 | Questionnaire item response (see table of items below for details) | 0=almost never, 1=rarely, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=almost always |
| rcpasp03r1/2, rcpasp05r1/2, rcpasp07r1/2, rcpasp09r1/2, rcpasp12r1/2, rcpasp14r1/2, rcpasp17r1/2, rcpasp20r1/2 | Reversed versions of questionnaire items 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 17, 20 | 0=almost always, 1=often, 2=sometimes, 3=rarely, 4=almost never |
| rcpaspfpit1/2 | Face Recognition (Identity) score: total for items 1, 6, 9 (reversed), 17 (reversed), 19, 21 | 0 to 24 (integer values) |
| rcpaspfpet1/2 | Face Emotion score: total for items 2, 8, 11, 14 (reversed), 20 (reversed), 24 | 0 to 24 (integer values) |
| rcpaspnfet1/2 | Non-face Emotion score: total for items 4, 5 (reversed), 12 (reversed), 15, 18, 22 | 0 to 24 (integer values) |
| rcpaspnsot1/2 | Object Recognition score: total for items 3 (reversed), 7 (reversed), 10, 13, 16, 23 | 0 to 24 (integer values) |
| rcpaspt1/2 | Social total score: sum of Face Recognition, Face Emotion and Non-face Emotion scores | 0 to 72 (integer values) |
Table of Questionnaire Items
The table below lists the text of each questionnaire item, as it appeared on screen in the web activity. For some items, minor changes in the text were made from the pilot to the main study: these changes are shown in the table.
Every questionnaire item had the same set of responses:
- almost never
- rarely
- sometimes
- often
- almost always
The item value coding (0 to 4 respectively for the responses above) was the same for every item variable. However, additional reverse-coded item variables have been included where appropriate, as shown in the table below (see also the table of item variables above).
| item no. | item in main study | item in pilot study, if different | item variable | reversed item variable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I recognise people quickly, even if I've only met them once before. | (same) | rcpasp011/2 | - |
| 2 | I know if someone's mood has changed, just by looking at their face. | (same) | rcpasp021/2 | - |
| 3 | I find it difficult to remember exactly what an object looks like if I haven't seen it for a while. | I find it difficult to remember what something looks like if I haven't seen it for a while. | rcpasp031/2 | rcpasp03r1/2 |
| 4 | I can tell the difference in body language between someone being angry or upset. | (same) | rcpasp041/2 | - |
| 5 | I need to know someone well before I can tell how they feel just from their tone of voice. | (same) | rcpasp051/2 | rcpasp05r1/2 |
| 6 | I find it easy to identify people in an old photo, even if they've changed a lot since it was taken. | (same) | rcpasp061/2 | - |
| 7 | I find it takes me a while to spot a familiar product in an unfamiliar supermarket. | I find it hard to spot a familiar product in an unfamiliar supermarket. | rcpasp071/2 | rcpasp07r1/2 |
| 8 | I can tell from someone's face what they are feeling, even if they try to hide it. | I can tell from someone's face what they are really feeling, even if they try to hide it. | rcpasp081/2 | - |
| 9 | I don't easily recognise someone if they change their hairstyle or makeup. | I struggle to recognise people when they change their hairstyle or makeup. | rcpasp091/2 | rcpasp09r1/2 |
| 10 | I learn quickly to recognise a new car (e.g., a friend's or a relative's). | (same) | rcpasp101/2 | - |
| 11 | I can tell whether a smile is real or fake. | (same) | rcpasp111/2 | - |
| 12 | I find it hard to tell how someone feels if I can't see their face. | (same) | rcpasp121/2 | rcpasp12r1/2 |
| 13 | I can see immediately which bag or coat is mine, even if it's mixed in with other people's. | I can tell at a glance which bag or coat is mine, even if it's mixed in with other people's. | rcpasp131/2 | - |
| 14 | I can't tell from someone's face whether they are thoughtful or just bored. | I find it difficult to tell from someone's face whether they are thoughtful or just bored. | rcpasp141/2 | rcpasp14r1/2 |
| 15 | I can tell if someone is smiling when I'm talking to them on the phone. | I can tell when someone is smiling even if I can't see them (e.g., when talking on the phone). | rcpasp151/2 | - |
| 16 | I can easily tell the difference between similar breeds of dog, or types of car. | (same) | rcpasp161/2 | - |
| 17 | I don't immediately recognise people if I haven't seen them for a while. | I find it hard to recognise familiar people if I haven't seen them for a while. | rcpasp171/2 | rcpasp17r1/2 |
| 18 | I can tell if someone is sincere just from their voice. | (same) | rcpasp181/2 | - |
| 19 | I know immediately if an actor on TV is someone I've seen in other shows, even if I don't know their name. | I can tell at a glance if an actor on TV is someone I've seen in other shows. | rcpasp191/2 | - |
| 20 | I need to know someone well before I can tell how they feel just by looking at their face. | (same) | rcpasp201/2 | rcpasp20r1/2 |
| 21 | I find it easy to recognise people's faces. | I can easily recognise people's faces. | rcpasp211/2 | - |
| 22 | I can easily interpret people's emotions from their body language and tone of voice. | (same) | rcpasp221/2 | - |
| 23 | I can easily recognise a familiar object, even if it's changed since I saw it last (e.g., it's old and worn). | (same) | rcpasp231/2 | - |
| 24 | I can easily recognise emotions in people's faces. | I can easily recognise emotion in people's faces. | rcpasp241/2 | - |