Pictures of Faces: Facial Database Summary

[jarvis24]

Dear Colleagues,

I received a number of responses to my request for databases of photos to be used as stimuli. I was searching for a database that contains photos of the faces of black males and white males that have been pre-tested to be equivalent across a host of factors (e.g., attractiveness, expression). The responses are summarized below (in no particular order). My sincere thanks to all who responded. There were many people who indicated an interest in my results, so I hope this proves to be a useful summary for many others.

Thanks again to everyone who responded!
Best Wishes,
Liz

Elizabeth Mullen, Ph.D.
Kellogg School of Management
Northwestern University
Department of Management and Organizations
2001 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208

[jarvis24]

1) I have recently used the Productive Aging Laboratory (http://agingmind.cns.uiuc.edu/ourresearch_cfdb.html). You can register for a free account and full access. They have Hispanic, White, Caucasian, and Asian faces of men and women of different ages. Each category contains specific emotions (such as happy). Has worked extremely well for some of my research. After following link, click on "face database" which is the last option.

2) http://www.itl.nist.gov/iad/humanid/feret/

3) http://agingmind.cns.uiuc.edu/facedb/

4) One person recommended The International Affective Picture System (IAPS). My best recommendation would be the International Affective Picture System. I have used this set before in a study, but I am unsure of exactly what ratings were taken. The set contains, I believe, over 1,000 pictures that have been rated for various characteristics. It was designed at the University of Florida, and I have attached a pdf instructing how to request the set. I hope this helps.

5) Try the FERET database, available from the NIST. A quick google search for FERET database will take you to their website.

6) You can try the NIMSTIM set. I know the expressions are equalized, but I'm not sure about the attractiveness levels.
http://www.macbrain.org/faces/

7) Finally, a number of people suggested I contact specific researchers.