Dr. LO Lap YanDr. LI Wang On, AlexAlexDr. LI Wang OnLee, L. P.L. P.LeeYeung, P. S.P. S.Yeung2020-07-072020-07-072018Cognitive Processing, 2018, vol. 19, pp. 505-515.1612-47901612-4782http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11861/5906Emotion can be conceptualized by the dimensional account of emotion with the dimensions of valence and arousal. There is little discussion of the difference in discriminability across the dimensions. The present study hypothesized that any pair of emotional expressions differing in the polarity of both valence and arousal dimensions would be easier to distinguish than a pair differing in only one dimension. The results indicate that the difference in the dimensions did not affect participants’ reaction time. Most pairs of emotional expressions, except those involving fear, were similarly discriminative. Reaction times to pairs with a fearful expression were faster than to those without. The fast reaction time to fearful facial expressions underscores the survival value of emotions.enDimensionDiscreteEmotionPeer Reviewed Journal Article10.1007/s10339-018-0868-3