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Kho SK, Keeble D, Wong HK, Estudillo AJ. Null effect of anodal and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on own- and other-race face recognition. Soc Neurosci 2023; 18:393-406. [PMID: 37840302 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2023.2263924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Successful face recognition is important for social interactions and public security. Although some preliminary evidence suggests that anodal and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) might modulate own- and other-race face identification, respectively, the findings are largely inconsistent. Hence, we examined the effect of both anodal and cathodal tDCS on the recognition of own- and other-race faces. Ninety participants first completed own- and other-race Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT) as baseline measurements. Next, they received either anodal tDCS, cathodal tDCS or sham stimulation and finally they completed alternative versions of the own- and other-race CFMT. No difference in performance, in terms of accuracy and reaction time, for own- and other-race face recognition between anodal tDCS, cathodal tDCS and sham stimulation was found. Our findings cast doubt upon the efficacy of tDCS to modulate performance in face identification tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siew Kei Kho
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia
| | - David Keeble
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom
| | - Hoo Keat Wong
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom
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52
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Burns EJ, Gaunt E, Kidane B, Hunter L, Pulford J. A new approach to diagnosing and researching developmental prosopagnosia: Excluded cases are impaired too. Behav Res Methods 2023; 55:4291-4314. [PMID: 36459376 PMCID: PMC9718472 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-022-02017-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Developmental prosopagnosia is characterized by severe, lifelong difficulties when recognizing facial identity. Unfortunately, the most common diagnostic assessment (Cambridge Face Memory Test) misses 50-65% of individuals who believe that they have this condition. This results in such excluded cases' absence from scientific knowledge, effect sizes of impairment potentially overestimated, treatment efficacy underrated, and may elicit in them a negative experience of research. To estimate their symptomology and group-level impairments in face processing, we recruited a large cohort who believes that they have prosopagnosia. Matching prior reports, 56% did not meet criteria on the Cambridge Face Memory Test. However, the severity of their prosopagnosia symptoms and holistic perception deficits were comparable to those who did meet criteria. Excluded cases also exhibited face perception and memory impairments that were roughly one standard deviation below neurotypical norms, indicating the presence of objective problems. As the prosopagnosia index correctly classified virtually every case, we propose it should be the primary method for providing a diagnosis, prior to subtype categorization. We present researchers with a plan on how they can analyze these excluded prosopagnosia cases in their future work without negatively impacting their traditional findings. We anticipate such inclusion will enhance scientific knowledge, more accurately estimate effect sizes of impairments and treatments, and identify commonalities and distinctions between these different forms of prosopagnosia. Owing to their atypicalities in visual perception, we recommend that the prosopagnosia index should be used to screen out potential prosopagnosia cases from broader vision research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin J Burns
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK.
| | - Elizabeth Gaunt
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Betiel Kidane
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Lucy Hunter
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Jaylea Pulford
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
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53
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Stantić M, Brown K, Ichijo E, Pounder Z, Catmur C, Bird G. Independent measurement of face perception, face matching, and face memory reveals impairments in face perception and memory, but not matching, in autism. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:2240-2249. [PMID: 37312015 PMCID: PMC10728234 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02304-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Multiple psychological processes are required in order for a face to be recognised from memory. However, when testing face memory using tasks such as the Cambridge Face Memory Task (CFMT), it is rare for studies to attempt to account for individual differences in face perception and face matching in order to isolate variance in face memory specifically. In Study 1, the Oxford Face Matching Test (OFMT) was used to assess face matching and face perception in a large sample of participants (N = 1,112). Results revealed independent contributions of face perception and matching to CFMT performance, and these results replicated with the Glasgow Face Matching Test. In Study 2, the same procedure was used to test face perception, face matching and face memory in a group of 57 autistic adults and a matched neurotypical control group. Results revealed impaired face perception and memory in the individuals with autism, but intact face matching. Face perception may therefore act as a potential intervention target for individuals with autism who exhibit face recognition impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirta Stantić
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Katie Brown
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Eri Ichijo
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Zoë Pounder
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Geoffrey Bird
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
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54
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Muayqil TA. Semantic dementia in Arabic: An assessment of Arabic word reading within sentences. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. ADULT 2023:1-8. [PMID: 37917946 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2023.2276436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Language impairments have not yet been fully explored in native Arabic speakers with semantic dementia (SD). The aim of this paper is to describe the impairments in language in two Saudi Arabians with SD and to determine if their word reading within a sentence context would result in incorrect responses. METHODS Two patients with semantic dementia (one with right > left and the other with left > right temporal involvement) underwent a reading assessment in Arabic. Patients were asked to read a series of words within a sentence context in which the correct reading of the word was dependent on the context of the sentence. Thirty-four sentences were designed in which 17 Arabic homographs were used. The same homograph would occur in two separate sentences, in which the pronunciation and meaning would differ between sentences. Patients were also assessed using five other sentences that contained irregular pronouns of high frequency. Eighteen healthy controls were used as reference. RESULTS Both patients made errors in reading the target Arabic homographs; this was more pronounced in the patient with left > right variant of SD. The patient with right > left variant of SD also suffered from prosopagnosia. CONCLUSION Correct reading of Arabic words within the sentence context may be impaired from semantic language impairments in semantic dementia. The role of comprehension in the correct reading of words in Arabic sentences is important.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taim A Muayqil
- Neurology division, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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55
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Peterson LM, Susilo T, Clifford CWG, Palmer CJ. Discrimination of facial identity based on simple contrast patterns generated by shading and shadows. Vision Res 2023; 212:108307. [PMID: 37573810 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2023.108307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
The pattern of shadows and shading across a face is determined partly by face shape and may therefore provide a cue for facial recognition. In this study, we measured the ability of human observers to discriminate facial identity based simply on the coarse pattern of contrast produced by the interaction between facial geometry and lighting direction. We used highly realistic 3D models of human heads to create images of faces illuminated from different horizontal and vertical directions, which were then converted to two-tone images ('Mooney faces') to isolate the coarse pattern of contrast. Participants were presented with pairs of two-tone faces and judged whether it was the same person in both images. Participants could discriminate facial identity based on the minimal cues within the two-tone images, though sensitivity depended on the horizontal and vertical lighting direction. Performance on the Mooney recognition task correlated with general facial recognition ability, though the role of face-specific processing in this relationship was not significant. Our results demonstrate that shading information in the form of simple contrast cues is sufficient for discriminating facial identity, and support the idea that visual processing is somewhat optimised for overhead lighting - here, in the relatively high-level context of face identity recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tirta Susilo
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | | | - Colin J Palmer
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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56
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Kamensek T, Susilo T, Iarocci G, Oruc I. Are people with autism prosopagnosic? Autism Res 2023; 16:2100-2109. [PMID: 37740564 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
Difficulties in various face processing tasks have been well documented in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Several meta-analyses and numerous case-control studies have indicated that this population experiences a moderate degree of impairment, with a small percentage of studies failing to detect any impairment. One possible account of this mixed pattern of findings is heterogeneity in face processing abilities stemming from the presence of a subpopulation of prosopagnosic individuals with ASD alongside those with normal face processing skills. Samples randomly drawn from such a population, especially relatively smaller ones, would vary in the proportion of participants with prosopagnosia, resulting in a wide range of group-level deficits from mild (or none) to severe across studies. We test this prosopagnosic subpopulation hypothesis by examining three groups of participants: adults with ASD, adults with developmental prosopagnosia (DP), and a comparison group. Our results show that the prosopagnosic subpopulation hypothesis does not account for the face impairments in the broader autism spectrum. ASD observers show a continuous and graded, rather than categorical, heterogeneity that span a range of face processing skills including many with mild to moderate deficits, inconsistent with a prosopagnosic subtype account. We suggest that pathogenic origins of face deficits for at least some with ASD differ from those of DP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd Kamensek
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Tirta Susilo
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Grace Iarocci
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Ipek Oruc
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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57
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Duchaine B, Rezlescu C, Garrido L, Zhang Y, Braga MV, Susilo T. The development of upright face perception depends on evolved orientation-specific mechanisms and experience. iScience 2023; 26:107763. [PMID: 37954143 PMCID: PMC10638473 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Here we examine whether our impressive ability to perceive upright faces arises from evolved orientation-specific mechanisms, our extensive experience with upright faces, or both factors. To do so, we tested Claudio, a man with a congenital joint disorder causing his head to be rotated back so that it is positioned between his shoulder blades. As a result, Claudio has seen more faces reversed in orientation to his own face than matched to it. Controls exhibited large inversion effects on all tasks, but Claudio performed similarly with upright and inverted faces in both detection and identity-matching tasks, indicating these abilities are the product of evolved mechanisms and experience. In contrast, he showed clear upright superiority when detecting "Thatcherized" faces (faces with vertically flipped features), suggesting experience plays a greater role in this judgment. Together, these findings indicate that both evolved orientation-specific mechanisms and experience contribute to our proficiency with upright faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brad Duchaine
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Constantin Rezlescu
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - Lúcia Garrido
- Department of Psychology, City, University of London, London EC1V 0HB, UK
| | - Yiyuan Zhang
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Maira V. Braga
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Tirta Susilo
- School of Psychology, University of Victoria Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
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58
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Leong BQZ, Estudillo AJ, Hussain Ismail AM. Holistic and featural processing's link to face recognition varies by individual and task. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16869. [PMID: 37803085 PMCID: PMC10558561 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44164-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
While it is generally accepted that holistic processing facilitates face recognition, recent studies suggest that poor recognition might also arise from imprecise perception of local features in the face. This study aimed to examine to what extent holistic and featural processing relates to individual differences in face recognition ability (FRA), during face learning (Experiment 1) and face recognition (Experiment 2). Participants performed two tasks: (1) The "Cambridge Face Memory Test-Chinese" which measured participants' FRAs, and (2) an "old/new recognition memory test" encompassing whole faces (preserving holistic and featural processing) and faces revealed through a dynamic aperture (impairing holistic processing but preserving featural processing). Our results showed that participants recognised faces more accurately in conditions when holistic information was preserved, than when it is impaired. We also show that the better use of holistic processing during face learning and face recognition was associated with better FRAs. However, enhanced featural processing during recognition, but not during learning, was related to better FRAs. Together, our findings demonstrate that good face recognition depends on distinct roles played by holistic and featural processing at different stages of face recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan Qi Zheng Leong
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia.
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole House Talbot Campus, Poole, BH12 5BB, UK.
| | - Alejandro J Estudillo
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia.
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole House Talbot Campus, Poole, BH12 5BB, UK.
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59
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Dance CJ, Hole G, Simner J. The role of visual imagery in face recognition and the construction of facial composites. Evidence from Aphantasia. Cortex 2023; 167:318-334. [PMID: 37597266 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
People with aphantasia have a markedly impaired ability to form visual images in the mind's eye. Here, by testing people with and without aphantasia, we examine the relationship between visual imagery and face processing. We show that aphantasics have weaker face recognition than people with visual imagery, using both self-report (Prosopagnosia Index) and behavioural measures (Cambridge Face Memory Test). However, aphantasics nonetheless have a fully intact ability to construct facial composites from memory (i.e., composites produced using EFIT6 by aphantasics and imagers were rated as equally accurate in terms of their resemblance to a target face). Additionally, we show that aphantasics were less able than imagers to see the resemblance between composites and a target face, suggestive of potential issues with face matching (perception). Finally, we show that holistic and featural methods of composite construction using EFIT6 produce equally accurate composites. Our results suggest that face recognition, but not face composite construction, is facilitated by the ability to represent visual properties as 'pictures in the mind'. Our findings have implications for the study of aphantasia, and also for forensic settings, where face composite systems are commonly used to aid criminal investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla J Dance
- School of Psychology, Pevensey Building, University of Sussex, UK.
| | - Graham Hole
- School of Psychology, Pevensey Building, University of Sussex, UK
| | - Julia Simner
- School of Psychology, Pevensey Building, University of Sussex, UK
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60
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Sommer W, Kotowski K, Shi Y, Switonski A, Hildebrandt A, Stapor K. Explicit face memory abilities are positively related to the non-intentional encoding of faces: Behavioral and ERP evidence. Biol Psychol 2023; 183:108672. [PMID: 37689176 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
Individual differences in face memory abilities have been shown to be related to individual differences in brain activity. The present study investigated brain-behavior relationships for the N250 component in event-related brain potentials, which is taken as a neural sign of face familiarity. We used a task in which a designated, typical target face and several (high- and low-distinctive) nontarget faces had to be distinguished during multiple presentations across a session. Separately, face memory/recognition abilities were measured with easy versus difficult tasks. We replicated an increase of the N250 amplitude to the target face across the session and observed a similar increase for the non-target faces, indicating the build-up of memory representations also for these faces. On the interindividual level, larger across-session N250 amplitude increases to low-distinctive non-target faces were related to faster face recognition as measured in an easy task. These findings indicate that non-intentional encoding of non-target faces into memory is associated with the swift recognition of explicitly learned faces; that is, there is shared variance of incidental and intentional face memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Werner Sommer
- Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Department of Psychology, Germany; Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jin Hua, China.
| | - Krzysztof Kotowski
- Silesian University of Technology, Department of Applied Informatics, Gliwice, Poland
| | - Yang Shi
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jin Hua, China
| | - Adam Switonski
- Silesian University of Technology, Department of Graphics, Computer Vision and Digital Systems, Gliwice, Poland
| | - Andrea Hildebrandt
- Department of Psychology and Research Center Neurosensory Science, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Katarzyna Stapor
- Silesian University of Technology, Department of Applied Informatics, Gliwice, Poland.
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61
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Yan X, Volfart A, Rossion B. A neural marker of the human face identity familiarity effect. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16294. [PMID: 37770466 PMCID: PMC10539293 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40852-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Human adults associate different views of an identity much better for familiar than for unfamiliar faces. However, a robust and consistent neural index of this behavioral face identity familiarity effect (FIFE)-not found in non-human primate species-is lacking. Here we provide such a neural FIFE index, measured implicitly and with one fixation per face. Fourteen participants viewed 70 s stimulation sequences of a large set (n = 40) of widely variable natural images of a face identity at a rate of 6 images/second (6 Hz). Different face identities appeared every 5th image (1.2 Hz). In a sequence, face images were either familiar (i.e., famous) or unfamiliar, participants performing a non-periodic task unrelated to face recognition. The face identity recognition response identified at 1.2 Hz over occipital-temporal regions in the frequency-domain electroencephalogram was 3.4 times larger for familiar than unfamiliar faces. The neural response to familiar faces-which emerged at about 180 ms following face onset-was significant in each individual but a case of prosopdysgnosia. Besides potential clinical and forensic applications to implicitly measure one's knowledge of a face identity, these findings open new perspectives to clarify the neurofunctional source of the FIFE and understand the nature of human face identity recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqian Yan
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, 54000, Nancy, France
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Angélique Volfart
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, 54000, Nancy, France
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Faculty of Health, School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4059, Australia
| | - Bruno Rossion
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, 54000, Nancy, France.
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
- Université de Lorraine, CHRU-Nancy, Service de Neurologie, 54000, Nancy, France.
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62
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Brown A, Burles F, Iaria G, Einstein G, Moscovitch M. Sex and menstrual cycle influence human spatial navigation strategies and performance. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14953. [PMID: 37696837 PMCID: PMC10495464 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41153-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Which facets of human spatial navigation do sex and menstrual cycle influence? To answer this question, a cross-sectional online study of reproductive age women and men was conducted in which participants were asked to demonstrate and self-report their spatial navigation skills and strategies. Participants self-reported their sex and current menstrual phase [early follicular (EF), late follicular/periovulatory (PO), and mid/late luteal (ML)], and completed a series of questionnaires and tasks measuring self-reported navigation strategy use, topographical memory, cognitive map formation, face recognition, and path integration. We found that sex influenced self-reported use of cognitive map- and scene-based strategies, face recognition, and path integration. Menstrual phase moderated the influence of sex: compared to men, women had better face recognition and worse path integration, but only during the PO phase; PO women were also better at path integration in the presence of a landmark compared to EF + ML women and men. These findings provide evidence that human spatial navigation varies with the menstrual cycle and suggest that sensitivity of the entorhinal cortex and longitudinal axis of the hippocampus to differential hormonal effects may account for this variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alana Brown
- Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G3, Canada.
| | - Ford Burles
- Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Giuseppe Iaria
- Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Gillian Einstein
- Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G3, Canada
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Academy of Research and Education, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, ON, M6A 2E1, Canada
- Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Morris Moscovitch
- Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G3, Canada
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Academy of Research and Education, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, ON, M6A 2E1, Canada
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63
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Mazuz Y, Kessler Y, Ganel T. The BTPI: An online battery for measuring susceptibility to visual illusions. J Vis 2023; 23:2. [PMID: 37669069 PMCID: PMC10484025 DOI: 10.1167/jov.23.10.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual illusions provide a powerful tool for probing the mechanisms that underlie perception. While most previous studies of visual illusions focused on average group-level performance, less attention has been devoted to individual differences in susceptibility to illusions. Unlike in other perceptual domains, in which there are established, validated tools to measure individual differences, such tools are not yet available in the domain of visual illusions. Here, we describe the development and validation of the BTPI (Ben-Gurion University Test for Perceptual Illusions), a new online battery designed to measure susceptibility to the influence of three prominent size illusions: the Ebbinghaus, the Ponzo, and the height-width illusions. The BTPI also measures perceptual resolution, reflected by the just noticeable difference (JND), to detect size differences in the context of each illusion. In Experiment 1 (N = 143), we examined performance in typical self-paced tasks, whereas in Experiment 2 (N = 69), we employed a fixed presentation duration paradigm. High test-retest reliability scores were found for all illusions, with little evidence for intercorrelations between different illusions. In addition, lower perceptual resolution (larger JND) was associated with a larger susceptibility to the illusory effect. The computerized task battery and analysis codes are freely available online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yarden Mazuz
- Department of Psychology and School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Yoav Kessler
- Department of Psychology and School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Tzvi Ganel
- Department of Psychology and School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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64
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Monzel M, Vetterlein A, Hogeterp SA, Reuter M. No increased prevalence of prosopagnosia in aphantasia: Visual recognition deficits are small and not restricted to faces. Perception 2023; 52:629-644. [PMID: 37321679 DOI: 10.1177/03010066231180712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Aphantasia and prosopagnosia are both rare conditions with impairments in visual cognition. While prosopagnosia refers to a face recognition deficit, aphantasics exhibit a lack of mental imagery. Current object recognition theories propose an interplay of perception and mental representations, making an association between recognition performance and visual imagery plausible. While the literature assumes a link between aphantasia and prosopagnosia, other impairments in aphantasia have been shown to be rather global. Therefore, we assumed that aphantasics do not solely exhibit impairments in face recognition but rather in general visual recognition performance, probably moderated by stimulus complexity. To test this hypothesis, 65 aphantasics were compared to 55 controls in a face recognition task, the Cambridge Face Memory Test, and a corresponding object recognition task, the Cambridge Car Memory Test. In both tasks, aphantasics performed worse than controls, indicating mild recognition deficits without face-specificity. Additional correlations between imagery vividness and performance in both tasks were found, suggesting that visual imagery influences visual recognition not only in imagery extremes. Stimulus complexity produced the expected moderation effect but only for the whole imagery-spectrum and only with face stimuli. Overall, the results imply that aphantasia is linked to a general but mild deficit in visual recognition.
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65
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Schroeger A, Ficco L, Wuttke SJ, Kaufmann JM, Schweinberger SR. Differences between high and low performers in face recognition in electrophysiological correlates of face familiarity and distance-to-norm. Biol Psychol 2023; 182:108654. [PMID: 37549807 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Valentine's influential norm-based multidimensional face-space model (nMDFS) predicts that perceived distinctiveness of a face increases with its distance to the norm. Occipito-temporal event-related potentials (ERPs) have been recently shown to respond selectively to variations in distance-to-norm (P200) or familiarity (N250, late negativity), respectively (Wuttke & Schweinberger, 2019). Despite growing evidence on interindividual differences in face perception skills at the behavioral level, little research has focused on their electrophysiological correlates. To reveal potential interindividual differences in face spaces, we contrasted high and low performers in face recognition in regards to distance-to-norm (P200) and familiarity (N250). We replicated both the P200 distance-to-norm and the N250 familiarity effect. Importantly, we observed: i) reduced responses in low compared to high performers of face recognition, especially in terms of smaller distance-to-norm effects in the P200, possibly indicating less 'expanded' face spaces in low compared to high performers; ii) increased N250 responses to familiar original faces in high performers, suggesting more robust face identity representations. In summary, these findings suggest the contribution of both early norm-based face coding and robust face representations to individual face recognition skills, and indicate that ERPs can offer a promising route to understand individual differences in face perception and their neurocognitive correlates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Schroeger
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany; Department for the Psychology of Human Movement and Sport, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany; Department of Experimental Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany.
| | - Linda Ficco
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany; International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for the Science of Human History, Max-Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany.
| | - Stella J Wuttke
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany; Infinite Potential Institute, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Jürgen M Kaufmann
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Stefan R Schweinberger
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany; International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for the Science of Human History, Max-Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Site Jena-Magdeburg-Halle, Germany
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66
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Dal Lago D, Burns E, Gaunt E, Peers E, Jackson RC, Wilcockson TDW. Alcohol Use Predicts Face Perception Impairments and Difficulties in Face Recognition. Subst Use Misuse 2023; 58:1734-1741. [PMID: 37602741 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2023.2247059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Background: Risky alcohol use is related to a variety of cognitive impairments, including memory and visuo-perceptual difficulties. Remarkably, no prior work has assessed whether usage of alcohol can predict difficulties perceiving facial identity. Objectives: Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether riskier alcohol consumption predicted impairments in face perception and self-reported difficulties in face recognition. Results: Participants (N = 239, male = 77) were over 18 years old and had normal or corrected-to-normal vision. Alcohol use was assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), while face recognition difficulties were determined by the 20-item Prosopagnosia Index questionnaire (PI20). A subsample of participants (N = 126, male = 51) completed the Cambridge Face Perception task (CFPT) to assess their face perception ability. Multiple linear regressions showed significant models of prediction on both face perception and face recognition when considering AUDIT score and age as predictors. Conclusion: This study suggested, for the first time, that risky alcohol use predicts both poorer visuo-perceptual processing for faces and self-reported difficulties in face recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Dal Lago
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
| | - Edwin Burns
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Elizabeth Gaunt
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Emma Peers
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Robin C Jackson
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
| | - Thomas D W Wilcockson
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
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67
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Portch E, Wignall L, Bate S. Why can people with developmental prosopagnosia recognise some familiar faces? Insights from subjective experience. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15497. [PMID: 37483961 PMCID: PMC10361072 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental prosopagnosia is a relatively common visuo-cognitive condition, characterised by impaired facial identity recognition. Impairment severity appears to reside on a continuum, however, it is unknown whether instances of milder deficits reflect the successful use of spontaneous (typical) face recognition strategies, or the application of extraneous compensatory cues to recognition. Here, we explore this issue in two studies. First, 23 adults with developmental prosopagnosia were asked about their use of spontaneous versus compensatory face recognition techniques in everyday life, using a series of closed- and open-ended questions. Second, the same participants performed a computerised famous face recognition task where they were asked to provide reasons why they could make any successful identifications. Findings from both studies suggest that people with developmental prosopagnosia can successfully, and quite frequently, use compensatory strategies to recognition, and that these cues support the majority of instances of preserved familiar face recognition. In contrast, 16 of the 23 participants were able to spontaneously recognise familiar faces on at least some occasions, but there were vast individual differences in frequencies of success. These findings have important implications for our conceptualisation of the condition, as well as for diagnostic practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Portch
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, United Kingdom
| | - Liam Wignall
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Bate
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, United Kingdom
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68
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Towler A, Dunn JD, Castro Martínez S, Moreton R, Eklöf F, Ruifrok A, Kemp RI, White D. Diverse types of expertise in facial recognition. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11396. [PMID: 37452069 PMCID: PMC10349110 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28632-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Facial recognition errors can jeopardize national security, criminal justice, public safety and civil rights. Here, we compare the most accurate humans and facial recognition technology in a detailed lab-based evaluation and international proficiency test for forensic scientists involving 27 forensic departments from 14 countries. We find striking cognitive and perceptual diversity between naturally skilled super-recognizers, trained forensic examiners and deep neural networks, despite them achieving equivalent accuracy. Clear differences emerged in super-recognizers' and forensic examiners' perceptual processing, errors, and response patterns: super-recognizers were fast, biased to respond 'same person' and misidentified people with extreme confidence, whereas forensic examiners were slow, unbiased and strategically avoided misidentification errors. Further, these human experts and deep neural networks disagreed on the similarity of faces, pointing to differences in their representations of faces. Our findings therefore reveal multiple types of facial recognition expertise, with each type lending itself to particular facial recognition roles in operational settings. Finally, we show that harnessing the diversity between individual experts provides a robust method of maximizing facial recognition accuracy. This can be achieved either via collaboration between experts in forensic laboratories, or most promisingly, by statistical fusion of match scores provided by different types of expert.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Towler
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia.
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia.
| | - James D Dunn
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Sergio Castro Martínez
- Sección Técnicas Identificativas, Comisaría General de Policía Científica, 28039, Madrid, Spain
| | - Reuben Moreton
- School of Psychology, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Fredrick Eklöf
- Forensic Imaging Biometrics, Information Technology Section, National Forensic Centre, Swedish Police Authority, 581 94, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Arnout Ruifrok
- Forensic Biometrics, Netherlands Forensic Institute, 2497 GB, The Hague, The Netherlands
| | - Richard I Kemp
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - David White
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
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69
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Joseph RA, Carter B. Prosopagnosia (face blindness) and child health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurs Child Young People 2023; 35:28-34. [PMID: 36688257 DOI: 10.7748/ncyp.2023.e1454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Prosopagnosia or 'face blindness' is the inability to recognise people's faces. There are two types: congenital or developmental prosopagnosia, which is the most common, and acquired prosopagnosia, which may occur secondary to brain tumours, stroke or other brain disorders. The authors of this article explored if mask wearing as a result of the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may affect social and developmental outcomes in children, including the development of prosopagnosia. Limited research on this topic is available and, although some relevant publications were found, no definitive evidence of mask-induced prosopagnosia in children was identified. However, nurses should be aware of this issue and discuss coping strategies to support children with the condition. Longitudinal studies on outcomes in children from different age groups who grew up during the COVID-19 pandemic will provide further insight.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Beth Carter
- Liberty University School of Nursing, Lynchburg VA, US
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70
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Zainal NH, Newman MG. A cross-lagged prospective network analysis of depression and anxiety and cognitive functioning components in midlife community adult women. Psychol Med 2023; 53:4160-4171. [PMID: 35534458 PMCID: PMC9646930 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291722000848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Scar theory proposes that heightened depression and anxiety precede and predict worse cognitive functioning outcomes, whereas the vulnerability theory posits the opposite pathway. However, most investigations on this topic have been cross-sectional, precluding causal inferences. Thus, we used cross-lagged prospective network analyses to facilitate causal inferences in understanding the relations between psychopathology and cognitive functioning components. METHODS Racially-diverse midlife women (n = 1816) participated in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation at two time-points, spanning one year apart. Five psychopathology (anxiety severity, depressed mood, somatic symptoms, positive affect, interpersonal problems) and four cognitive functioning nodes (working memory (WM), processing speed (PS), facial recognition (FCR), and verbal memory (VRM)) were assessed. All analyses adjusted for age, menopausal status, estradiol, and follicle-stimulating hormones. RESULTS Contemporaneous networks yielded notable inverse between-node relations (edges) between interpersonal problems and reduced FCR and PS, and between depressed mood and lower FCR, VRM, or PS. Nodes that had the highest likelihood to bridge other constructs were positive affect, anxiety severity, WM, and VRM. Temporal networks produced edges consistent with the scar (v. vulnerability) hypotheses. Higher somatic symptoms were related to reduced PS and WM, and greater depressed mood was correlated with lower future PS and WM. Also, higher anxiety severity coincided with decreased future PS and WM. Greater positive affect was associated with stronger future PS, FCR, and WM. Also, positive affect had the strongest relations with other nodes. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest the importance of targeting symptoms and cognitive functioning simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur Hani Zainal
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States
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71
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Coggan DD, Tong F. Spikiness and animacy as potential organizing principles of human ventral visual cortex. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:8194-8217. [PMID: 36958809 PMCID: PMC10321104 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Considerable research has been devoted to understanding the fundamental organizing principles of the ventral visual pathway. A recent study revealed a series of 3-4 topographical maps arranged along the macaque inferotemporal (IT) cortex. The maps articulated a two-dimensional space based on the spikiness and animacy of visual objects, with "inanimate-spiky" and "inanimate-stubby" regions of the maps constituting two previously unidentified cortical networks. The goal of our study was to determine whether a similar functional organization might exist in human IT. To address this question, we presented the same object stimuli and images from "classic" object categories (bodies, faces, houses) to humans while recording fMRI activity at 7 Tesla. Contrasts designed to reveal the spikiness-animacy object space evoked extensive significant activation across human IT. However, unlike the macaque, we did not observe a clear sequence of complete maps, and selectivity for the spikiness-animacy space was deeply and mutually entangled with category-selectivity. Instead, we observed multiple new stimulus preferences in category-selective regions, including functional sub-structure related to object spikiness in scene-selective cortex. Taken together, these findings highlight spikiness as a promising organizing principle of human IT and provide new insights into the role of category-selective regions in visual object processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- David D Coggan
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 111 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN 37240, United States
| | - Frank Tong
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 111 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN 37240, United States
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72
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Epihova G, Cook R, Andrews TJ. Recognition of animal faces is impaired in developmental prosopagnosia. Cognition 2023; 237:105477. [PMID: 37156079 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
An on-going debate in psychology and neuroscience concerns the way faces and objects are represented. Domain-specific theories suggest that faces are processed via a specialised mechanism, separate from objects. Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is a neurodevelopmental disorder in which there is a deficit in the ability to recognize conspecific (human) faces. It is unclear, however, whether prosopagnosia also affects recognition of heterospecific (animal) faces. To address this question, we compared recognition performance with human and animal faces in neurotypical controls and participants with DP. We found that DPs showed deficits in the recognition of both human and animal faces compared to neurotypical controls. In contrast to, we found no group-level deficit in the recognition of animate or inanimate non-face objects in DPs. Using an individual-level approach, we demonstrate that in 60% of cases in which face recognition is impaired, there is a concurrent deficit with animal faces. Together, these results show that DPs have a general deficit in the recognition of faces that encompass a range of configural and morphological structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Epihova
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK; MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Richard Cook
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK; School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
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73
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Chang CH, Zehra S, Nestor A, Lee ACH. Using image reconstruction to investigate face perception in amnesia. Neuropsychologia 2023; 185:108573. [PMID: 37119985 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
Damage to the medial temporal lobe (MTL), which is traditionally considered to subserve memory exclusively, has been reported to contribute to impaired face perception. However, it remains unknown how exactly such brain lesions may impact face representations and in particular facial shape and surface information, both of which are crucial for face perception. The present study employed a behavioral-based image reconstruction approach to reveal the pictorial representations of face perception in two amnesic patients: DA, who has an extensive bilateral MTL lesion that extends beyond the MTL in the right hemisphere, and BL, who has damage to the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG). Both patients and their respective matched controls completed similarity judgments for pairs of faces, from which facial shape and surface features were subsequently derived and synthesized to create images of reconstructed facial appearance. Participants also completed a face oddity judgment task (FOJT) that has previously been shown to be sensitive to MTL cortical damage. While BL exhibited an impaired pattern of performance on the FOJT, DA demonstrated intact performance accuracy. Notably, the recovered pictorial content of faces was comparable between both patients and controls, although there was evidence for atypical face representations in BL particularly with regards to color. Our work provides novel insight into the face representations underlying face perception in two well-studied amnesic patients in the literature and demonstrates the applicability of the image reconstruction approach to individuals with brain damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Hsun Chang
- Department of Psychology (Scarborough), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sukhan Zehra
- Department of Psychology (Scarborough), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Adrian Nestor
- Department of Psychology (Scarborough), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andy C H Lee
- Department of Psychology (Scarborough), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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74
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Humble D, Schweinberger SR, Mayer A, Jesgarzewsky TL, Dobel C, Zäske R. The Jena Voice Learning and Memory Test (JVLMT): A standardized tool for assessing the ability to learn and recognize voices. Behav Res Methods 2023; 55:1352-1371. [PMID: 35648317 PMCID: PMC10126074 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-022-01818-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The ability to recognize someone's voice spans a broad spectrum with phonagnosia on the low end and super-recognition at the high end. Yet there is no standardized test to measure an individual's ability of learning and recognizing newly learned voices with samples of speech-like phonetic variability. We have developed the Jena Voice Learning and Memory Test (JVLMT), a 22-min test based on item response theory and applicable across languages. The JVLMT consists of three phases in which participants (1) become familiarized with eight speakers, (2) revise the learned voices, and (3) perform a 3AFC recognition task, using pseudo-sentences devoid of semantic content. Acoustic (dis)similarity analyses were used to create items with various levels of difficulty. Test scores are based on 22 items which had been selected and validated based on two online studies with 232 and 454 participants, respectively. Mean accuracy in the JVLMT is 0.51 (SD = .18) with an empirical (marginal) reliability of 0.66. Correlational analyses showed high and moderate convergent validity with the Bangor Voice Matching Test (BVMT) and Glasgow Voice Memory Test (GVMT), respectively, and high discriminant validity with a digit span test. Four participants with potential super recognition abilities and seven participants with potential phonagnosia were identified who performed at least 2 SDs above or below the mean, respectively. The JVLMT is a promising research and diagnostic screening tool to detect both impairments in voice recognition and super-recognition abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Humble
- Department of Experimental Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, Stoystrasse 3, 07743, Jena, Germany
- Department for General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3/1, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Stefan R Schweinberger
- Department for General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3/1, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Axel Mayer
- Department of Psychological Methods and Evaluation, Institute of Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Sports Science, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Tim L Jesgarzewsky
- Department of Experimental Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, Stoystrasse 3, 07743, Jena, Germany
- Department for General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3/1, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Dobel
- Department of Experimental Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, Stoystrasse 3, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Romi Zäske
- Department of Experimental Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, Stoystrasse 3, 07743, Jena, Germany.
- Department for General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Steiger 3/1, 07743, Jena, Germany.
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75
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DeGutis J, Bahierathan K, Barahona K, Lee E, Evans TC, Shin HM, Mishra M, Likitlersuang J, Wilmer JB. What is the prevalence of developmental prosopagnosia? An empirical assessment of different diagnostic cutoffs. Cortex 2023; 161:51-64. [PMID: 36905701 PMCID: PMC10065901 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The prevalence of developmental prosopagnosia (DP), lifelong face recognition deficits, is widely reported to be 2-2.5%. However, DP has been diagnosed in different ways across studies, resulting in differing prevalence rates. In the current investigation, we estimated the range of DP prevalence by administering well-validated objective and subjective face recognition measures to an unselected web-based sample of 3116 18-55 year-olds and applying DP diagnostic cutoffs from the last 14 years. We found estimated prevalence rates ranged from .64-5.42% when using a z-score approach and .13-2.95% when using a percentile approach, with the most commonly used cutoffs by researchers having a prevalence rate of .93% (z-score, .45% when using percentiles). We next used multiple cluster analyses to examine whether there was a natural grouping of poorer face recognizers but failed to find consistent grouping beyond those with generally above versus below average face recognition. Lastly, we investigated whether DP studies with more relaxed diagnostic cutoffs were associated with better performance on the Cambridge Face Perception Test. In a sample of 43 studies, there was a weak nonsignificant association between greater diagnostic strictness and better DP face perception accuracy (Kendall's tau-b correlation, τb =.18 z-score; τb = .11 percentiles). Together, these results suggest that researchers have used more conservative DP diagnostic cutoffs than the widely reported 2-2.5% prevalence. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using more inclusive cutoffs, such as identifying mild and major forms of DP based on DSM-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph DeGutis
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Kanisha Bahierathan
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Katherine Barahona
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - EunMyoung Lee
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Travis C Evans
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hye Min Shin
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maruti Mishra
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Jirapat Likitlersuang
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jeremy B Wilmer
- Department of Psychology, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, USA
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76
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Baker KA, Mondloch CJ. Unfamiliar face matching ability predicts the slope of face learning. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5248. [PMID: 37002382 PMCID: PMC10066355 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32244-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
We provide the first examination of individual differences in the efficiency of face learning. Investigating individual differences in face learning can illuminate potential mechanisms and provide greater understanding of why certain individuals might be more efficient face learners. Participants completed two unfamiliar face matching tasks and a learning task in which learning was assessed after viewing 1, 3, 6, and 9 images of to-be-learned identities. Individual differences in the slope of face learning (i.e., increases in sensitivity to identity) were predicted by the ability to discriminate between matched (same-identity) vs. mismatched (different-identity) pairs of wholly unfamiliar faces. A Dual Process Signal Detection model showed that three parameters increased with learning: Familiarity (an unconscious type of memory that varies in strength), recollection-old (conscious recognition of a learned identity), and recollection-new (conscious/confident rejection of novel identities). Good (vs. poor) matchers had higher Recollection-Old scores throughout learning and showed a steeper increase in Recollection-New. We conclude that good matchers are better able to capitalize on exposure to within-person variability in appearance, an effect that is attributable to their conscious memory for both learned and novel faces. These results have applied implications and will inform contemporary and traditional models of face identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen A Baker
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada.
| | - Catherine J Mondloch
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
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77
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Music perception in acquired prosopagnosia. Neuropsychologia 2023; 183:108540. [PMID: 36913989 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acquired prosopagnosia is often associated with other deficits such as dyschromatopsia and topographagnosia, from damage to adjacent perceptual networks. A recent study showed that some subjects with developmental prosopagnosia also have congenital amusia, but problems with music perception have not been described with the acquired variant. OBJECTIVE Our goal was to determine if music perception was also impaired in subjects with acquired prosopagnosia, and if so, its anatomic correlate. METHOD We studied eight subjects with acquired prosopagnosia, all of whom had extensive neuropsychological and neuroimaging testing. They performed a battery of tests evaluating pitch and rhythm processing, including the Montréal Battery for the Evaluation of Amusia. RESULTS At the group level, subjects with anterior temporal lesions were impaired in pitch perception relative to the control group, but not those with occipitotemporal lesions. Three of eight subjects with acquired prosopagnosia had impaired musical pitch perception while rhythm perception was spared. Two of the three also showed reduced musical memory. These three reported alterations in their emotional experience of music: one reported music anhedonia and aversion, while the remaining two had changes consistent with musicophilia. The lesions of these three subjects affected the right or bilateral temporal poles as well as the right amygdala and insula. None of the three prosopagnosic subjects with lesions limited to the inferior occipitotemporal cortex exhibited impaired pitch perception or musical memory, or reported changes in music appreciation. CONCLUSION Together with the results of our previous studies of voice recognition, these findings indicate an anterior ventral syndrome that can include the amnestic variant of prosopagnosia, phonagnosia, and various alterations in music perception, including acquired amusia, reduced musical memory, and subjective reports of altered emotional experience of music.
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Kieseler ML, Duchaine B. Persistent prosopagnosia following COVID-19. Cortex 2023; 162:56-64. [PMID: 36966620 PMCID: PMC9995301 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 can cause psychological problems including loss of smell and taste, long-lasting memory, speech, and language impairments, and psychosis. Here, we provide the first report of prosopagnosia following symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Annie is a 28-year-old woman who had normal face recognition prior to contracting COVID-19 in March 2020. Two months later, she noticed face recognition difficulties while experiencing symptom relapses and her deficits with faces have persisted. On two tests of familiar face recognition and two tests of unfamiliar face recognition, Annie showed clear impairments. In contrast, she scored normally on tests assessing face detection, face identity perception, object recognition, scene recognition, and non-visual memory. Navigational deficits frequently co-occur with prosopagnosia, and Annie reports that her navigational abilities are substantially worse than before she became ill. Self-report survey data from 54 respondents with long COVID showed that a majority reported reductions in visual recognition and navigation abilities. In summary, Annie's results indicate that COVID-19 can produce severe and selective neuropsychological impairment similar to deficits seen following brain damage, and it appears that high-level visual impairments are not uncommon in people with long COVID.
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Pardo-Sanchez J, Tibbetts EA. Social experience drives the development of holistic face processing in paper wasps. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:465-476. [PMID: 36066686 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01666-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Most recognition is based on identifying features, but specialization for face recognition in some taxa relies on a different mechanism, termed 'holistic processing' where facial features are bound together into a gestalt which is more than the sum of its parts. Although previous work suggests that extensive experience may be required for the development of holistic processing, we lack experiments that test how age and experience interact to influence holistic processing. Here, we test how age and experience influence the development of holistic face processing in Polistes fuscatus paper wasps. Previous work has shown that P. fuscatus use facial patterns to individually identify conspecifics and wasps use holistic processing to discriminate between conspecific faces. We tested face processing in three groups of P. fuscatus: young (1-week-old), older, experienced (2-weeks-old, normal experience), and older, inexperienced (2-weeks-old, 1 week normal social experience and 1 week social isolation). Older, experienced wasps used holistic processing to discriminate between conspecific faces. In contrast, older inexperienced wasps used featural rather than holistic mechanisms to discriminate between faces. Young wasps show some evidence of holistic face processing, but this ability was less refined than older, experienced wasps. Notably, wasps only required 2 weeks of normal experience to develop holistic processing, while previous work suggests that humans may require years of experience. Overall, P. fuscatus wasps rapidly develop holistic processing for conspecific faces. Experience rather than age facilitates the transition between featural and holistic face processing mechanisms.
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80
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Baker KA, Stabile VJ, Mondloch CJ. Stable individual differences in unfamiliar face identification: Evidence from simultaneous and sequential matching tasks. Cognition 2023; 232:105333. [PMID: 36508992 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Matching identity in images of unfamiliar faces is difficult: Images of the same person can look different and images of different people can look similar. Recent studies have capitalized on individual differences in the ability to distinguish match (same ID) vs. mismatch (different IDs) face pairs to inform models of face recognition. We addressed two significant gaps in the literature by examining the stability of individual differences in both sensitivity to identity and response bias. In Study 1, 210 participants completed a battery of four tasks in each of two sessions separated by one week. Tasks varied in protocol (same/different, lineup, sorting) and stimulus characteristics (low vs. high within-person variability in appearance). In Study 2, 148 participants completed a battery of three tasks in a single session. Stimuli were presented simultaneously on some trials and sequentially on others, introducing short-term memory demands. Principal components analysis revealed two components that were stable across time and tasks: sensitivity to identity and bias. Analyses of response times suggest that individual differences in bias reflect decision-making processes. We discuss the implications of our findings in applied settings and for models of face recognition.
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81
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Tagliente S, Passarelli M, D'Elia V, Palmisano A, Dunn JD, Masini M, Lanciano T, Curci A, Rivolta D. Self-reported face recognition abilities moderately predict face-learning skills: Evidence from Italian samples. Heliyon 2023; 9:e14125. [PMID: 36915548 PMCID: PMC10006496 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Face Recognition Ability (FRA) varies widely throughout the population. Previous research highlights a positive relationship between self-perceived and objectively measured FRA in the healthy population, suggesting that people do have insight into their FRA. Given that this relationship has not been investigated in Italian samples yet, the main aim of the present work was to develop an Italian translation of the Prosopagnosia Index-20 (PI-20), a self-report measure of FRA, to investigate the relationship between PI-20 performances and an objective assessment given by the Cambridge Face Memory Test Long Form (CFMT+) in the Italian population. A sample of 553 participants filled in the PI-20 Italian version 1 or 2 (PI-20_GE or PI-20_BA) and completed the CFMT+. Results showed a negative correlation between both versions of the Italian PI-20 and CFMT+ scores, meaning that the more self-evaluations were negative, the worse they objectively performed. The same results applied to the extreme limits of the distribution (i.e., 10% of the highest and lowest PI-20 scores). Furthermore, both age and administration order of the tests were predictor variables of CFMT+ scores. Overall, our results suggest that people possess insight, although relatively limited, into their FRA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Tagliente
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Marcello Passarelli
- Institute of Educational Technology, National Research Council, Genova, Italy
| | - Vitiana D'Elia
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Annalisa Palmisano
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - James D Dunn
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, (UNSW), Sydney, Australia
| | - Michele Masini
- Valorizzazione Innovazione Empowerment s.r.l. (VIE), Genova, Italy
| | - Tiziana Lanciano
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Antonietta Curci
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Davide Rivolta
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
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Rahavi A, Malaspina M, Albonico A, Barton JJS. "Looking at nothing": An implicit ocular motor index of face recognition in developmental prosopagnosia. Cogn Neuropsychol 2023; 40:59-70. [PMID: 37612792 DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2023.2250510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Subjects often look towards to previous location of a stimulus related to a task even when that stimulus is no longer visible. In this study we asked whether this effect would be preserved or reduced in subjects with developmental prosopagnosia. Participants learned faces presented in video-clips and then saw a brief montage of four faces, which was replaced by a screen with empty boxes, at which time they indicated whether the learned face had been present in the montage. Control subjects were more likely to look at the blank location where the learned face had appeared, on both hit and miss trials, though the effect was larger on hit trials. Prosopagnosic subjects showed a reduced effect, though still better on hit than on miss trials. We conclude that explicit accuracy and our implicit looking at nothing effect are parallel effects reflecting the strength of the neural activity underlying face recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Rahavi
- Human Vision and Eye Movement Laboratory, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Manuela Malaspina
- Human Vision and Eye Movement Laboratory, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Andrea Albonico
- Human Vision and Eye Movement Laboratory, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Jason J S Barton
- Departments of Medicine (Neurology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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83
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Hominoid-specific sulcal variability is related to face perception ability. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:677-685. [PMID: 36786881 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02611-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
The relationship among brain structure, brain function, and behavior is of major interest in neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and psychology. This relationship is especially intriguing when considering hominoid-specific brain structures because they cannot be studied in widely examined models in neuroscience such as mice, marmosets, and macaques. The fusiform gyrus (FG) is a hominoid-specific structure critical for face processing that is abnormal in individuals with developmental prosopagnosia (DPs)-individuals who have severe deficits recognizing the faces of familiar people in the absence of brain damage. While previous studies have found anatomical and functional differences in the FG between DPs and NTs, no study has examined the shallow tertiary sulcus (mid-fusiform sulcus, MFS) within the FG that is a microanatomical, macroanatomical, and functional landmark in humans, as well as was recently shown to be present in non-human hominoids. Here, we implemented pre-registered analyses of neuroanatomy and face perception in NTs and DPs. Results show that the MFS was shorter in DPs than NTs. Furthermore, individual differences in MFS length in the right, but not left, hemisphere predicted individual differences in face perception. These results support theories linking brain structure and function to perception, as well as indicate that individual differences in MFS length can predict individual differences in face processing. Finally, these findings add to growing evidence supporting a relationship between morphological variability of late developing, tertiary sulci and individual differences in cognition.
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84
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Walker DL, Palermo R, Gignac GE. General figure and face-specific closure ability: predictors of trait-autism? CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-023-04351-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Little research has examined the association between general figure closure speed, a stratum I ability within the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of intelligence, and face-specific closure ability; an important consideration, as some research suggests face processing is independent of other abilities. Additionally, figure closure ability (general and face) may correlate negatively with trait-autism, due to theorised autism-related difficulties in global processing. Therefore, in addition to developing a psychometrically robust short-form Mooney face detection task, we administered the Gestalt Figure Completion Test and the Autism Spectrum Quotient to a sample of 263 general community adults. We found convergent validity between face-specific and general figure closure ability (r = .44, 95%CI:[.30, .58]). Furthermore, based on a latent variable model, general figure closure ability was directly, and face-specific figure closure ability indirectly, negatively associated with trait-autism (i.e., nonverbal communication). We conclude that face detection ability evidences convergent validity with general figure closure ability and can be measured reliably in less than four minutes. Finally, a general, rather than face-specific, figure closure process may tap more directly into autism-like nonverbal communication ability, supporting the notion that global processing abilities of non-face objects may better reflect the requirements to ‘fill in the gaps’ in social contexts.
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85
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The Danish Version of the 20-Item Prosopagnosia Index (PI20): Translation, Validation and a Link to Face Perception. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13020337. [PMID: 36831880 PMCID: PMC9954571 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13020337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by face recognition problems. Psychometrically sound self-report measures of face recognition problems are important tools in classification of DP. A widely used measure of such problems is the 20-item prosopagnosia index (PI20). Here, we present a Danish translation of the PI20 (PI20DK). We administered the PI20DK alongside three objective measures of face and object processing performance to 119 participants to validate the PI20DK. Further, we assess the underlying factor structure of the PI20DK. Finally, as the first study in the field, we investigate the association between self-reported face recognition ability and face perception performance. The project was preregistered prior to data collection. The results suggest excellent convergent validity, discriminant validity and internal consistency for the PI20DK. A confirmatory factor analysis, however, indicates a suboptimal fit of the PI20DK to a one factor solution. An investigation of the association between the PI20DK and face perception suggests that the poor fit may reflect that the PI20DK measures problems with face recognition in general and not specifically face memory problems.
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86
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Pinto R, Lima D, Mello B, Albuquerque PB. Remembering to whom we transmit information during pandemics: the effect of face masks on destination memory. Cogn Process 2023; 24:233-243. [PMID: 36753007 PMCID: PMC9907208 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-023-01126-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Considering the global pandemic we currently experience, face masks have become standard in our daily routine. Even though surgical masks are established as a safety measure against the dissemination of COVID-19, previous research showed that their wearing compromises face recognition. Consequently, the capacity to remember to whom we transmit information-destination memory-could also be compromised. In our study, through a between-participants design (experiment 1) and a within-participants design (experiment 2), undergraduate students have to transmit Portuguese proverbs to masked and unmasked celebrity faces. Following our hypothesis, participants who shared information with masked faces had worse destination memory performance than those who shared information with unmasked faces. Also, we observed lower recognition for masked faces compared to unmasked faces. These results were expected since using a surgical mask affects facial recognition, thus making it harder to recognize a person to whom information was previously transmitted. More importantly, these results also support the idea that variables associated with the recipient's face are important for destination memory performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Pinto
- School of Psychology, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal.
| | - Diogo Lima
- School of Psychology, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
| | - Beatriz Mello
- School of Psychology, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
| | - Pedro B Albuquerque
- School of Psychology, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
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87
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O’Hearn K, Lynn A. Age differences and brain maturation provide insight into heterogeneous results in autism spectrum disorder. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 16:957375. [PMID: 36819297 PMCID: PMC9934814 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.957375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies comparing individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to typically developing (TD) individuals have yielded inconsistent results. These inconsistencies reflect, in part, atypical trajectories of development in children and young adults with ASD compared to TD peers. These different trajectories alter group differences between children with and without ASD as they age. This paper first summarizes the disparate trajectories evident in our studies and, upon further investigation, laboratories using the same recruiting source. These studies indicated that cognition improves into adulthood typically, and is associated with the maturation of striatal, frontal, and temporal lobes, but these age-related improvements did not emerge in the young adults with ASD. This pattern - of improvement into adulthood in the TD group but not in the group with ASD - occurred in both social and non-social tasks. However, the difference between TD and ASD trajectories was most robust on a social task, face recognition. While tempting to ascribe this uneven deficit to the social differences in ASD, it may also reflect the prolonged typical development of social cognitive tasks such as face recognition into adulthood. This paper then reviews the evidence on age-related and developmental changes from other studies on ASD. The broader literature also suggests that individuals with ASD do not exhibit the typical improvements during adolescence on skills important for navigating the transition to adulthood. These skills include execution function, social cognition and communication, and emotional recognition and self-awareness. Relatedly, neuroimaging studies indicate arrested or atypical brain maturation in striatal, frontal, and temporal regions during adolescence in ASD. This review not only highlights the importance of a developmental framework and explicit consideration of age and/or stage when studying ASD, but also the potential importance of adolescence on outcomes in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten O’Hearn
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, United States,*Correspondence: Kirsten O’Hearn,
| | - Andrew Lynn
- Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
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88
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Mares I, Ewing L, Papasavva M, Ducrocq E, Smith FW, Smith ML. Face recognition ability is manifest in early dynamic decoding of face-orientation selectivity-Evidence from multi-variate pattern analysis of the neural response. Cortex 2023; 159:299-312. [PMID: 36669447 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Although humans are considered to be face experts, there is a well-established reliable variation in the degree to which neurotypical individuals are able to learn and recognise faces. While many behavioural studies have characterised these differences, studies that seek to relate the neuronal response to standardised behavioural measures of ability remain relatively scarce, particularly so for the time-resolved approaches and the early response to face stimuli. In the present study we make use of a relatively recent methodological advance, multi-variate pattern analysis (MVPA), to decode the time course of the neural response to faces compared to other object categories (inverted faces, objects). Importantly, for the first time, we directly relate metrics of this decoding assessed at the individual level to gold-standard measures of behavioural face processing ability assessed in an independent task. Thirty-nine participants completed the behavioural Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT), then viewed images of faces and houses (presented upright and inverted) while their neural activity was measured via electroencephalography. Significant decoding of both face orientation and face category were observed in all individual participants. Decoding of face orientation, a marker of more advanced face processing, was earlier and stronger in participants with higher levels of face expertise, while decoding of face category information was earlier but not stronger for individuals with greater face expertise. Taken together these results provide a marker of significant differences in the early neuronal response to faces from around 100 ms post stimulus as a function of behavioural expertise with faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês Mares
- School of Psychological Science, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK; William James Center for Research, Ispa - Instituto Universitário, Portugal.
| | - Louise Ewing
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Michael Papasavva
- School of Psychological Science, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
| | - Emmanuel Ducrocq
- School of Psychological Science, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
| | - Fraser W Smith
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Marie L Smith
- School of Psychological Science, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK; Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
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89
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Tyler R, Towler A, Kemp RI, White D. Let's talk about faces: Identifying faces from verbal descriptions. Br J Psychol 2023; 114:262-281. [PMID: 36333099 PMCID: PMC10100156 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Face descriptions inform real-world identification decisions, for example when eyewitnesses describe criminal perpetrators. However, it is unclear how effective face descriptions are for identification. Here, we examined the accuracy of face identification from verbal descriptions, and how individual differences in face perception relate to producing and using descriptions for identification. In Study 1, participants completed a face communication task in pairs. Each participant saw a single face, and via verbal communication only, the pair decided if they were viewing the same person or different people. Dyads achieved 72% accuracy, compared to 81% when participants completed the task individually by matching face pairs side-by-side. Performance on the face communication and perceptual matching tasks were uncorrelated, perhaps due to low measurement reliability of the face communication task. In subsequent studies, we examined the abilities of face 'describers' (Study 2) and 'identifiers' separately (Study 3). We found that 'super-recognizers' - people with extremely high perceptual face identification abilities - outperformed controls in both studies. Overall, these results show that people can successfully describe faces for identification. Preliminary evidence suggests that this ability - and the ability use facial descriptions for identification - has some association with perceptual face identification skill.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Tyler
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Alice Towler
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Richard I Kemp
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - David White
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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90
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Kramer RSS. Face matching and metacognition: investigating individual differences and a training intervention. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14821. [PMID: 36718455 PMCID: PMC9884031 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Although researchers have begun to consider metacognitive insight during face matching, little is known about the underlying mechanism. Here, I investigated whether objective ability, as well as self-assessed ability, were able to predict metacognitive performance, that is, the ability to differentiate correct and incorrect responses in terms of confidence. In addition, I considered whether a training intervention resulted in improvements to both face matching performance and metacognitive insight. Methods In this experiment (N = 220), participants completed a face matching task, with either a diagnostic feature training course or a control course presented at the halfway point. In addition, a second face matching task, as well as a self-report questionnaire regarding ability, were completed to provide measures of objective and self-assessed ability respectively. Results Higher self-assessed ability with faces, as well as higher objective ability with face matching, predicted better metacognitive performance, i.e., greater confidence in correct, in comparison with incorrect, responses. This pattern of results was evident both when objective ability was measured through performance on the same task used to measure metacognitive insight and when a different task was used. Finally, the training intervention failed to produce improvements in face matching performance and showed no evidence of altering metacognitive ability. Discussion The current work begins to address the mechanism underlying individual differences in metacognitive insight during face matching. Although support was provided for a competence-based account, where better face matchers showed greater performance on the task and were more successful in monitoring their performance, further work might focus on decoupling task performance and competence in order to more conclusively explain why some people are more insightful than others.
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91
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Chen YL, Wu CY, Li SC, Yu TM, Yu SP. Effect of mask coverage on face identification in Taiwanese men and women. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1082376. [PMID: 36733661 PMCID: PMC9886878 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1082376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Mask wearing is the easiest and most effective way to avoid COVID-19 infection; however, it affects interpersonal activities, especially face identification. This study examined the effects of three mask coverage levels (full coverage, FC; coverage up to the middle [MB] or bottom of the nose bridge [BB]) on face identification accuracy and time. A total of 115 university students (60 men and 55 women) were recruited to conduct a computer-based simulation test consisting of 30 questions (10 questions [five face images each of men and women] for the three mask coverage levels). One unmasked target face and four face images with a specified mask coverage level were designed for each question, and the participants were requested to select the same face from the four covered face images on the basis of the target face. The ANOVA results indicated that identification accuracy was significantly affected by sex (p < 0.01) and the mask coverage level (p < 0.001), whereas identification time was only influenced by sex (p < 0.05). The multiple comparison results indicated that the identification accuracy rate for faces wearing a mask with FC (90.3%) was significantly lower than for those wearing masks with coverage up to the MB (93.7%) and BB (94.9%) positions; however, no difference in identification accuracy rate was observed between the MB and BB levels. Women exhibited a higher identification accuracy rate than men (94.1% vs. 91.9%) in identifying unfamiliar faces, even though they may spend less time identifying the images. A smaller mask coverage level (i.e., the BB level) does not facilitate face identification. The findings can be served as a reference for people to trade-off between wearing a mask and interpersonal interaction in their daily activities.
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92
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Maratos FA, Chu K, Lipka S, Stupple EJN, Parente F. Exploring pattern recognition: what is the relationship between the recognition of words, faces and other objects? Cogn Process 2023; 24:59-70. [PMID: 36376612 PMCID: PMC9898371 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-022-01111-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Debate surrounds processes of visual recognition, with no consensus as to whether recognition of distinct object categories (faces, bodies, cars, and words) is domain specific or subserved by domain-general visual recognition mechanisms. Here, we investigated correlations between the performance of 74 participants on recognition tasks for words, faces and other object categories. Participants completed a counter-balanced test battery of the Cambridge Face, Car and Body Parts Memory tests, as well as a standard four category lexical decision task, with response time and recognition accuracy as dependent variables. Results revealed significant correlations across domains for both recognition accuracy and response time, providing some support for domain-general pattern recognition. Further exploration of the data using principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a two-component model for both the response time and accuracy data. However, how the various word and object recognition tasks fitted these components varied considerably but did hint at familiarity/expertise as a common factor. In sum, we argue a complex relationship exists between domain-specific processing and domain-general processing, but that this is shaped by expertise. To further our understanding of pattern recognition, research investigating the recognition of words, faces and other objects in dyslexic individuals is recommended, as is research exploiting neuroimaging methodologies, with excellent temporal resolution, to chart the temporal specifics of different forms of visual pattern recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- F. A. Maratos
- School of Psychology, College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, UK
| | - K. Chu
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - S. Lipka
- School of Psychology, College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, UK
| | - E. J. N. Stupple
- School of Psychology, College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, UK
| | - F. Parente
- School of Psychology, College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, UK
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93
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Wild MG, Cutler RA, Bachorowski JA. Quantifying social performance: A review with implications for further work. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1124385. [PMID: 37179870 PMCID: PMC10172596 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1124385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Human social performance has been a focus of theory and investigation for more than a century. Attempts to quantify social performance have focused on self-report and non-social performance measures grounded in intelligence-based theories. An expertise framework, when applied to individual differences in social interaction performance, offers novel insights and methods of quantification that could address limitations of prior approaches. The purposes of this review are 3-fold. First, to define the central concepts related to individual differences in social performance, with a particular focus on the intelligence-based framework that has dominated the field. Second, to make an argument for a revised conceptualization of individual differences in social-emotional performance as a social expertise. In support of this second aim, the putative components of a social-emotional expertise and the potential means for their assessment will be outlined. To end, the implications of an expertise-based conceptual framework for the application of computational modeling approaches in this area will be discussed. Taken together, expertise theory and computational modeling methods have the potential to advance quantitative assessment of social interaction performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus G. Wild
- VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, Waco, TX, United States
- *Correspondence: Marcus G. Wild,
| | - Rebecca A. Cutler
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Jo-Anne Bachorowski
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
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94
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Dunn JD, Towler A, Kemp RI, White D. Selecting police super-recognisers. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0283682. [PMID: 37195905 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
People vary in their ability to recognise faces. These individual differences are consistent over time, heritable and associated with brain anatomy. This implies that face identity processing can be improved in applied settings by selecting high performers-'super-recognisers' (SRs)-but these selection processes are rarely available for scientific scrutiny. Here we report an 'end-to-end' selection process used to establish an SR 'unit' in a large police force. Australian police officers (n = 1600) completed 3 standardised face identification tests and we recruited 38 SRs from this cohort to complete 10 follow-up tests. As a group, SRs were 20% better than controls in lab-based tests of face memory and matching, and equalled or surpassed accuracy of forensic specialists that currently perform face identification tasks for police. Individually, SR accuracy was variable but this problem was mitigated by adopting strict selection criteria. SRs' superior abilities transferred only partially to body identity decisions where the face was not visible, and they were no better than controls at deciding which visual scene that faces had initially been encountered in. Notwithstanding these important qualifications, we conclude that super-recognisers are an effective solution to improving face identity processing in applied settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D Dunn
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Alice Towler
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | | | - David White
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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95
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Walker DL, Palermo R, Callis Z, Gignac GE. The association between intelligence and face processing abilities: A conceptual and meta-analytic review. INTELLIGENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2022.101718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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96
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Ventura M, Palmisano A, Innamorato F, Tedesco G, Manippa V, Caffò AO, Rivolta D. Face memory and facial expression recognition are both affected by wearing disposable surgical face masks. Cogn Process 2023; 24:43-57. [PMID: 36242672 PMCID: PMC9568966 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-022-01112-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Faces are fundamental stimuli for social interactions since they provide significant information about people's identity and emotional states. With the outburst of the COVID-19 pandemic, global use of preventive measures, such as disposable surgical face masks (DSFMs), has been imposed. The massive use of DSFMs covering a large part of the face could interfere with identity and emotion recognition. Thus, the main aim of the current study was (i) to assess how DSFMs affect identity recognition (Experiment 1), (ii) how DSFMs affect emotion recognition (Experiment 2), and (iii) whether individual empathy levels correlate with emotion recognition with DSFMs. The potential relation between identity and emotion recognition with and without DSFMs was also investigated. Two tasks were administered to 101 healthy participants: (i) the Old-new face memory task aimed to assess whether the learning context (i.e., DSFMs on/off) affects recognition performance, whereas (ii) the Facial affect task explored DSFMs' effect on emotion recognition. Results from the former showed that the stimuli's features in the learning stage affect recognition performances; that is, faces wearing DSFMs were better recognized if wearing DSFMs at first exposure and vice versa. Results from the Facial affect task showed that DSFMs lead to reduced disgust, happiness, and sadness recognition. No significant correlation emerged between identity and emotion recognition. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) was administered to assess affective and cognitive empathy; however, IRI scores did not correlate with either face memory recognition or facial affect recognition. Overall, our results demonstrate (a) a "context effect" for face memory with and without DSFMs; (b) a disruptive effect of DSFMs depending on the expressed emotion; and (c) no correlation between empathy and emotion recognition with DSFMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Ventura
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - A. Palmisano
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - F. Innamorato
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - G. Tedesco
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - V. Manippa
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - A. O. Caffò
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Davide Rivolta
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
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97
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Wang Z, Manassi M, Ren Z, Ghirardo C, Canas-Bajo T, Murai Y, Zhou M, Whitney D. Idiosyncratic biases in the perception of medical images. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1049831. [PMID: 36600706 PMCID: PMC9806180 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1049831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Radiologists routinely make life-altering decisions. Optimizing these decisions has been an important goal for many years and has prompted a great deal of research on the basic perceptual mechanisms that underlie radiologists' decisions. Previous studies have found that there are substantial individual differences in radiologists' diagnostic performance (e.g., sensitivity) due to experience, training, or search strategies. In addition to variations in sensitivity, however, another possibility is that radiologists might have perceptual biases-systematic misperceptions of visual stimuli. Although a great deal of research has investigated radiologist sensitivity, very little has explored the presence of perceptual biases or the individual differences in these. Methods Here, we test whether radiologists' have perceptual biases using controlled artificial and Generative Adversarial Networks-generated realistic medical images. In Experiment 1, observers adjusted the appearance of simulated tumors to match the previously shown targets. In Experiment 2, observers were shown with a mix of real and GAN-generated CT lesion images and they rated the realness of each image. Results We show that every tested individual radiologist was characterized by unique and systematic perceptual biases; these perceptual biases cannot be simply explained by attentional differences, and they can be observed in different imaging modalities and task settings, suggesting that idiosyncratic biases in medical image perception may widely exist. Discussion Characterizing and understanding these biases could be important for many practical settings such as training, pairing readers, and career selection for radiologists. These results may have consequential implications for many other fields as well, where individual observers are the linchpins for life-altering perceptual decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixuan Wang
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States,*Correspondence: Zixuan Wang,
| | - Mauro Manassi
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Zhihang Ren
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States,Vision Science Group, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Cristina Ghirardo
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Teresa Canas-Bajo
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States,Vision Science Group, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Yuki Murai
- Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Koganei, Japan
| | - Min Zhou
- Department of Pediatrics, The First People's Hospital of Shuangliu District, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - David Whitney
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States,Vision Science Group, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
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98
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Akselevich V, Gilaie-Dotan S. Positive and negative facial valence perception are modulated differently by eccentricity in the parafovea. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21693. [PMID: 36522350 PMCID: PMC9755278 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24919-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding whether people around us are in a good, bad or neutral mood can be critical to our behavior, both when looking directly at them or when they are in our peripheral visual field. However, facial expressions of emotions are often investigated at central visual field or at locations right or left of fixation. Here we assumed that perception of facial emotional valence (the emotion's pleasantness) changes with distance from central visual field (eccentricity) and that different emotions may be influenced differently by eccentricity. Participants (n = 58) judged the valence of emotional faces across the parafovea (≤ 4°, positive (happy), negative (fearful), or neutral)) while their eyes were being tracked. As expected, performance decreased with eccentricity. Positive valence perception was least affected by eccentricity (accuracy reduction of 10-19% at 4°) and negative the most (accuracy reduction of 35-38% at 4°), and this was not a result of speed-accuracy trade-off or response biases. Within-valence (but not across-valence) performance was associated across eccentricities suggesting perception of different valences is supported by different mechanisms. While our results may not generalize to all positive and negative emotions, they indicate that beyond-foveal investigations can reveal additional characteristics of the mechanisms that underlie facial expression processing and perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasilisa Akselevich
- grid.22098.310000 0004 1937 0503School of Optometry and Vision Science, Faculty of Life Science, Bar Ilan University, 5290002 Ramat Gan, Israel ,grid.22098.310000 0004 1937 0503The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Sharon Gilaie-Dotan
- grid.22098.310000 0004 1937 0503School of Optometry and Vision Science, Faculty of Life Science, Bar Ilan University, 5290002 Ramat Gan, Israel ,grid.22098.310000 0004 1937 0503The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel ,grid.83440.3b0000000121901201UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, London, UK
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99
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Estudillo AJ, Wong HK. Two face masks are better than one: congruency effects in face matching. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2022; 7:49. [PMID: 35674914 PMCID: PMC9175166 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-022-00402-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the positive effects of congruency between stimuli are well replicated in face memory paradigms, mixed findings have been found in face matching. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, face masks are now very common during daily life outdoor activities. Thus, the present study aims to further explore congruency effects in matching faces partially occluded by surgical masks. Observers performed a face matching task consisting of pairs of faces presented in full view (i.e., full-view condition), pairs of faces in which only one of the faces had a mask (i.e., one-mask condition), and pairs of faces in which both faces had a mask (i.e., two-mask condition). Although face masks disrupted performance in identity match and identity mismatch trials, in match trials, we found better performance in the two-mask condition compared to the one-mask condition. This finding highlights the importance of congruency between stimuli on face matching when telling faces together.
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100
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Dong M, Zhang P, Chai W, Zhang X, Chen BT, Wang H, Wu J, Chen C, Niu Y, Liang J, Shi G, Jin C. Early stage of radiological expertise modulates resting-state local coherence in the inferior temporal lobe. PSYCHORADIOLOGY 2022; 2:199-206. [PMID: 38665273 PMCID: PMC10917200 DOI: 10.1093/psyrad/kkac024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Background The visual system and its inherent functions undergo experience-dependent changes through the lifespan, enabling acquisition of new skills. Previous fMRI studies using tasks reported increased specialization in a number of cortical regions subserving visual expertise. Although ample studies focused on representation of long-term visual expertise in the brain, i.e. in terms of year, monthly-based early-stage representation of visual expertise remains unstudied. Given that spontaneous neuronal oscillations actively encode previous experience, we propose brain representations in the resting state is fundamentally important. Objective The current study aimed to investigate how monthly-based early-stage visual expertise are represented in the resting state using the expertise model of radiologists. Methods In particular, we investigated the altered local clustering pattern of spontaneous brain activity using regional homogeneity (ReHo). A cohort group of radiology interns (n = 22) after one-month training in X-ray department and matched laypersons (n = 22) were recruited after rigorous behavioral assessment. Results The results showed higher ReHo in the right hippocampus (HIP) and the right ventral anterior temporal lobe (vATL) (corrected by Alphasim correction, P < 0.05). Moreover, ReHo in the right HIP correlated with the number of cases reviewed during intern radiologists' training (corrected by Alphasim correction, P < 0.05). Conclusions In sum, our results demonstrated that the early stage of visual expertise is more concerned with stabilizing visual feature and domain-specific knowledge into long-term memory. The results provided novel evidence regarding how early-stage visual expertise is represented in the resting brain, which help further elaborate how human visual expertise is acquired. We propose that our current study may provide novel ideas for developing new training protocols in medical schools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghao Dong
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an City, Shaanxi 710071, China
- Xian Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of tran-Scale Life Information, Xi’an City, Shaanxi 710071, China
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Perception and Image Understanding of Ministry of Education, School of Artificial Intelligence, Xidian University, Xi’an City, Shaanxi 710071, China
| | - Peiming Zhang
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an City, Shaanxi 710071, China
| | - Weilu Chai
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Perception and Image Understanding of Ministry of Education, School of Artificial Intelligence, Xidian University, Xi’an City, Shaanxi 710071, China
| | - Xiaoyan Zhang
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an City, Shaanxi 710071, China
| | - Bihong T Chen
- City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte City, California 91010, USA
| | - Hongmei Wang
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an City, Shaanxi 710000, China
| | - Jia Wu
- School of Foreign Languages, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an City, Shaanxi 710071, China
| | - Chao Chen
- PLA Funding Payment Center, Beijing 100000, China
| | - Yi Niu
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Perception and Image Understanding of Ministry of Education, School of Artificial Intelligence, Xidian University, Xi’an City, Shaanxi 710071, China
| | - Jimin Liang
- School of Electronics and Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an City, Shaanxi 710071, China
| | - Guangming Shi
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Perception and Image Understanding of Ministry of Education, School of Artificial Intelligence, Xidian University, Xi’an City, Shaanxi 710071, China
| | - Chenwang Jin
- Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an City, Shaanxi 710000, China
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