In the new study, the researchers sought to determine whether they could direct feelings about faces -- a more sophisticated brain function that is closer to their eventual goal, which is to develop the technique to the point where it could become a tool for psychological therapy, for instance for anxiety.
"Face recognition is a very important social function for people," said co-author Takeo Watanabe, the Fred M. Seed Professor of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences at Brown University. "Facial recognition is associated with people's emotions."