Which word is not among the common terms used to describe affect?

• A. Empirical
• B. Blunted
• C. Labile
• D. Flat

Answer: (A)

When clinicians describe affect, they focus on how emotions are outwardly expressed. Common terms you’ll hear include flat affect (little to no facial expression or voice modulation), blunted affect (reduced intensity of emotional expression), and labile affect (rapid, abrupt shifts in emotional expression). The word that isn’t used to describe affect is empirical. Empirical relates to evidence or data gathered through observation or experience, not to the appearance of emotion. So it’s not a descriptor of affect, whereas the other three are standard terms used to characterize how a patient expresses emotion externally.