GibbonFACS
(A FACS system adapted for hylobatids)
What GibbonFACS is:
The Gibbon Facial Action Coding System (GibbonFACS) is a scientific observational tool for identifying and coding facial movements in hylobatids. The system is based on the facial anatomy of gibbons and has been adapted from the original FACS system used for humans created by Ekman and Friesen (1978). The GibbonFACS manual details how to use the system and code the facial movements of gibbon objectively. The manual and certification is freely available (see below).
More info regarding the development of this FACS system can be found here:
Waller, B. M., Lembeck, M., Kuchenbuch, P., Burrows, A. M., & Liebal, K. (2012). GibbonFACS: a muscle-based facial movement coding system for hylobatids. International Journal of Primatology, 33(4), 809-821.
What GibbonFACS isn't:
GibbonFACS is not an ethogram of facial expressions, and does not make any inference about any underlying emotion or context causing the movement. Instead this is an objective coding scheme with no assumption about what represents a facial expression in this species. It will not explicitally teach you gibbon facial expressions.
Accessing the manual
Accessing the Test
The GibbonFACS Manual is freely available via the link below. For access to the manual, please contact us on animalfacsuk@gmail.com with the following information.
- Name
- Institution (if applicable)
- Reason for requesting GibbonFACS
You will be then provided with a password to access the manual at the following link:
Please allow 7 working days for a response.
- PlInstitution
- Reason for
To become a certified GibbonFACS coder, we encourage you to take the associated test. The GibbonFACS test involves trainees to accurately code the facial movements in a series of video clips.
The password for test materials, and further instructions, can be provided upon request via email (animalfacsuk@gmail.com)
Access to GibbonFACS test materials.
Please allow 7 working days for a response.
The people behind it
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GibbonFACS was developed thanks to the joint effort of:
- Bridget M. Waller, Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University
- Katja Liebal, Department Educational Science and Psychology, Comparative Developmental Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
- Anne M. Burrows, Department of Physical Therapy, Duquesne University (PA, USA)
- Manuela Ersson-Lembeck, Department Educational Science and Psychology, Comparative Developmental Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
- Linda Oña, Cluster of Excellence Languages of Emotion, Department Educational Science and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
- Paul Kuchenbuch, Cluster of Excellence Languages of Emotion, Department Educational Science and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Robert Zingg and Zoo Zurich (Switzerland), Jennifer Spalton and Twycross Zoo (UK), Neil Spooner & Matt Ford and Howletts Wild Animal Park (UK), Corinne Di Trani and Mulhouse Zoo (France) for allowing us to collect footage of their animals. We also thank Gill Vale for support in collecting some of the video footage, Cátia Caeiro for reliability coding and Wiebke Hoffmann for general assistance.
