1
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Smith P, Mann J, Marsh A. Empathy for wildlife: The importance of the individual. AMBIO 2024; 53:1269-1280. [PMID: 38795282 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-024-02017-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/27/2024]
Abstract
Because climate change and the biodiversity crisis are driven by human actions, determining psychological mechanisms underpinning support for environmental action is an urgent priority. Here, we experimentally tested for mechanisms promoting conservation-related motivation and behavior toward a flagship species, wild Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins. Following evidence that empathy increases prosocial motivations and behavior, and that the ability to identify individual humans promotes empathy, we tested whether this relationship applied to the ability to identify individual dolphins. Participants identified dolphins from their dorsal fins at above chance levels, and better individuation correlated with higher empathy for dolphins and higher willingness to pledge environmental behaviors. Pairing a narrative with an image of an injured dolphin leads to higher donations relative to a narrative alone. Our novel finding that the ability to individually identify dolphins relates to empathy and conservation-related behavior suggests pathways for strengthening environmental attitudes and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Smith
- Environmental Justice Program, Earth Commons Institute, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 20057, USA.
| | - Janet Mann
- Department of Biology and Department of Psychology, Earth Commons Institute, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 20057, USA
| | - Abigail Marsh
- Department of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Interdisciplinary Program in Cognitive Science, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 20057, USA
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2
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Marini F, Manassi M, Ramon M. Super recognizers: Increased sensitivity or reduced biases? Insights from serial dependence. J Vis 2024; 24:13. [PMID: 39046722 PMCID: PMC11271810 DOI: 10.1167/jov.24.7.13] [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: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Super recognizers (SRs) are people that exhibit a naturally occurring superiority for processing facial identity. Despite the increase of SR research, the mechanisms underlying their exceptional abilities remain unclear. Here, we investigated whether the enhanced facial identity processing of SRs could be attributed to the lack of sequential effects, such as serial dependence. In serial dependence, perception of stimulus features is assimilated toward stimuli presented in previous trials. This constant error in visual perception has been proposed as a mechanism that promotes perceptual stability in everyday life. We hypothesized that an absence of this constant source of error in SRs could account for their superior processing-potentially in a domain-general fashion. We tested SRs (n = 17) identified via a recently proposed diagnostic framework (Ramon, 2021) and age-matched controls (n = 20) with two experiments probing serial dependence in the face and shape domains. In each experiment, observers were presented with randomly morphed face identities or shapes and were asked to adjust a face's identity or a shape to match the stimulus they saw. We found serial dependence in controls and SRs alike, with no difference in its magnitude across groups. Interestingly, we found that serial dependence impacted the performance of SRs more than that of controls. Taken together, our results show that enhanced face identity processing skills in SRs cannot be attributed to the lack of serial dependence. Rather, serial dependence, a beneficial nested error in our visual system, may in fact further stabilize the perception of SRs and thus enhance their visual processing proficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiammetta Marini
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Mauro Manassi
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Meike Ramon
- Applied Face Cognition Lab, Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- AIR - Association for Independent Research, Zürich, Switzerland
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3
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Tumino M, Carraro L, Castelli L. The social factors behind the mask: contextual effects on trait impressions from faces wearing a face mask. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2024; 9:43. [PMID: 38935222 PMCID: PMC11211305 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-024-00570-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: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The presence of face masks can significantly impact processes related to trait impressions from faces. In the present research, we focused on trait impressions from faces either wearing a mask or not by addressing how contextual factors may shape such inferences. In Study 1, we compared trait impressions from faces in a phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in which wearing masks was a normative behavior (T1) with those assessed one year later when wearing masks was far less common (T2). Results at T2 showed a reduced positivity in the trait impressions elicited by faces covered by a mask. In Study 2, it was found that trait impressions from faces were modulated by the background visual context in which the target face was embedded so that faces wearing a mask elicited more positive traits when superimposed on an indoor rather than outdoor visual context. Overall, the present studies indicate that wearing face masks may affect trait impressions from faces, but also that such impressions are highly flexible and can significantly fluctuate across time and space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matilde Tumino
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy.
| | - Luciana Carraro
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - Luigi Castelli
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
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4
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Wang A, Quinn BPA, Gofton H, Andrews TJ. No evidence for an other-race effect in dominance and trustworthy judgements from faces. Perception 2024:3010066241258204. [PMID: 38881389 DOI: 10.1177/03010066241258204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
A variety of evidence shows that social categorization of people based on their race can lead to stereotypical judgements and prejudicial behaviour. Here, we explore the extent to which trait judgements of faces are influenced by race. To address this issue, we measured the reliability of first impressions for own-race and other-race faces in Asian and White participants. Participants viewed pairs of faces and were asked to indicate which of the two faces was more dominant or which of the two faces was more trustworthy. We measured the consistency (or reliability) of these judgements across participants for own-race and other-races faces. We found that judgements of dominance or trustworthiness showed similar levels of reliability for own-race and other-race faces. Moreover, an item analysis showed that the judgements on individual trials were very similar across participants from different races. Next, participants made overall ratings of dominance and trustworthiness from own-race and other-race faces. Again, we found that there was no evidence for an ORE. Together, these results provide a new approach to measuring trait judgements of faces and show that in these conditions there is no ORE for the perception of dominance and trustworthiness.
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5
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Volfart A, Rossion B. The neuropsychological evaluation of face identity recognition. Neuropsychologia 2024; 198:108865. [PMID: 38522782 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108865] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Facial identity recognition (FIR) is arguably the ultimate form of recognition for the adult human brain. Even if the term prosopagnosia is reserved for exceptionally rare brain-damaged cases with a category-specific abrupt loss of FIR at adulthood, subjective and objective impairments or difficulties of FIR are common in the neuropsychological population. Here we provide a critical overview of the evaluation of FIR both for clinicians and researchers in neuropsychology. FIR impairments occur following many causes that should be identified objectively by both general and specific, behavioral and neural examinations. We refute the commonly used dissociation between perceptual and memory deficits/tests for FIR, since even a task involving the discrimination of unfamiliar face images presented side-by-side relies on cortical memories of faces in the right-lateralized ventral occipito-temporal cortex. Another frequently encountered confusion is between specific deficits of the FIR function and a more general impairment of semantic memory (of people), the latter being most often encountered following anterior temporal lobe damage. Many computerized tests aimed at evaluating FIR have appeared over the last two decades, as reviewed here. However, despite undeniable strengths, they often suffer from ecological limitations, difficulties of instruction, as well as a lack of consideration for processing speed and qualitative information. Taking into account these issues, a recently developed behavioral test with natural images manipulating face familiarity, stimulus inversion, and correct response times as a key variable appears promising. The measurement of electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in the frequency domain from fast periodic visual stimulation also appears as a particularly promising tool to complete and enhance the neuropsychological assessment of FIR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angélique Volfart
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
| | - Bruno Rossion
- Centre for Biomedical Technologies, Queensland University of Technology, Australia; Université de Lorraine, CNRS, IMoPA, F-54000, Nancy, France.
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6
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Fysh MC, Baker E, Rockett J, Allen J, McCall C, Burton AM, Bindemann M. Queues, crowds, and angry mobs: Face identification under distraction in a virtual airport. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024; 77:1169-1178. [PMID: 37715668 PMCID: PMC11103907 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231203939] [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: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023]
Abstract
In visual environments, selective attention must be employed to focus on task-relevant stimuli. A key question here concerns the extent to which other stimuli within the visual field influence target processing. In this study, we ask whether face identity matching is subject to similar effects from irrelevant stimuli in the visual field, specifically task-irrelevant people. Although most previous studies rely on highly controlled face and body stimuli presented in isolation, here we use a more realistic environment. Participants take the role of passport officers and must match a person's face to their photo-ID, while other people appear in the background, waiting to be processed. Presenting an interactive virtual environment on screen (Experiments 1 and 2) or in immersive VR (Experiment 3), we generally found no evidence for distraction from background people on face-matching accuracy. However, when immersed in VR, an angry crowd in the background delayed matching speed while not affecting accuracy. We discuss the theoretical implications of these results and their potential importance in practical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew C Fysh
- School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Edward Baker
- School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Jodie Rockett
- School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - John Allen
- School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Cade McCall
- Department of Psychology, York University, York, UK
| | - A Mike Burton
- Department of Psychology, York University, York, UK
- Faculty of Society & Design, Bond University, Robina, QLD, Australia
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7
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Matthews CM, Ritchie KL, Laurence S, Mondloch CJ. Multiple images captured from a single encounter do not promote face learning. Perception 2024; 53:299-316. [PMID: 38454616 PMCID: PMC11088208 DOI: 10.1177/03010066241234034] [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: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Viewing multiple images of a newly encountered face improves recognition of that identity in new instances. Studies examining face learning have presented high-variability (HV) images that incorporate changes that occur from moment-to-moment (e.g., head orientation and expression) and over time (e.g., lighting, hairstyle, and health). We examined whether low-variability (LV) images (i.e., images that incorporate only moment-to-moment changes) also promote generalisation of learning such that novel instances are recognised. Participants viewed a single image, six LV images, or six HV images of a target identity before being asked to recognise novel images of that identity in a face matching task (training stimuli remained visible) or a memory task (training stimuli were removed). In Experiment 1 (n = 71), participants indicated which image(s) in 8-image arrays belonged to the target identity. In Experiment 2 (n = 73), participants indicated whether sequentially presented images belonged to the target identity. Relative to the single-image condition, sensitivity to identity improved and response biases were less conservative in the HV condition; we found no evidence of generalisation of learning in the LV condition regardless of testing protocol. Our findings suggest that day-to-day variability in appearance plays an essential role in acquiring expertise with a novel face.
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8
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Jeckeln G, Hu Y, Cavazos JG, Yates AN, Hahn CA, Tang L, Phillips PJ, O'Toole AJ. Face identification proficiency test designed using item response theory. Behav Res Methods 2024; 56:1244-1259. [PMID: 37296324 PMCID: PMC10991046 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02092-7] [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] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Measures of face-identification proficiency are essential to ensure accurate and consistent performance by professional forensic face examiners and others who perform face-identification tasks in applied scenarios. Current proficiency tests rely on static sets of stimulus items and so cannot be administered validly to the same individual multiple times. To create a proficiency test, a large number of items of "known" difficulty must be assembled. Multiple tests of equal difficulty can be constructed then using subsets of items. We introduce the Triad Identity Matching (TIM) test and evaluate it using item response theory (IRT). Participants view face-image "triads" (N = 225) (two images of one identity, one image of a different identity) and select the different identity. In Experiment 3, university students (N = 197) showed wide-ranging accuracy on the TIM test, and IRT modeling demonstrated that the TIM items span various difficulty levels. In Experiment 3, we used IRT-based item metrics to partition the test into subsets of specific difficulties. Simulations showed that subsets of the TIM items yielded reliable estimates of subject ability. In Experiments 3a and b, we found that the student-derived IRT model reliably evaluated the ability of non-student participants and that ability generalized across different test sessions. In Experiment 3c, we show that TIM test performance correlates with other common face-recognition tests. In summary, the TIM test provides a starting point for developing a framework that is flexible and calibrated to measure proficiency across various ability levels (e.g., professionals or populations with face-processing deficits).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ying Hu
- The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA
| | | | - Amy N Yates
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Carina A Hahn
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Larry Tang
- University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
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9
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Shoham A, Grosbard ID, Patashnik O, Cohen-Or D, Yovel G. Using deep neural networks to disentangle visual and semantic information in human perception and memory. Nat Hum Behav 2024:10.1038/s41562-024-01816-9. [PMID: 38332339 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01816-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Mental representations of familiar categories are composed of visual and semantic information. Disentangling the contributions of visual and semantic information in humans is challenging because they are intermixed in mental representations. Deep neural networks that are trained either on images or on text or by pairing images and text enable us now to disentangle human mental representations into their visual, visual-semantic and semantic components. Here we used these deep neural networks to uncover the content of human mental representations of familiar faces and objects when they are viewed or recalled from memory. The results show a larger visual than semantic contribution when images are viewed and a reversed pattern when they are recalled. We further reveal a previously unknown unique contribution of an integrated visual-semantic representation in both perception and memory. We propose a new framework in which visual and semantic information contribute independently and interactively to mental representations in perception and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adva Shoham
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Idan Daniel Grosbard
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Or Patashnik
- The Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Daniel Cohen-Or
- The Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Galit Yovel
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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10
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Wiese H, Popova T, Schipper M, Zakriev D, Burton AM, Young AW. How neural representations of newly learnt faces change over time: Event-related brain potential evidence for overnight consolidation. Cortex 2024; 171:13-25. [PMID: 37977110 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.10.007] [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: 05/28/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Previous experiments have shown that a brief encounter with a previously unfamiliar person leads to the establishment of new facial representations, which can be activated by completely novel pictures of the newly learnt face. The present study examined how stable such novel neural representations are over time, and, specifically, how they become consolidated within the first 24 h after learning. Using event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in a between-participants design, we demonstrate that clear face familiarity effects in the occipito-temporal N250 are evident immediately after learning. These effects then undergo change, with a nearly complete absence of familiarity-related ERP differences 4 h after the initial encounter. Critically, 24 h after learning, the original familiarity effect re-emerges. These findings suggest that the neural correlates of novel face representations are not stable over time but change during the first day after learning. The resulting pattern of change is consistent with a process of consolidation.
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11
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Davis EE, Matthews CM, Mondloch CJ. Ensemble coding of facial identity is robust, but may not contribute to face learning. Cognition 2024; 243:105668. [PMID: 38043180 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105668] [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: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Ensemble coding - the rapid extraction of a perceptual average - has been proposed as a potential mechanism underlying face learning. We tested this proposal across five pre-registered experiments in which four ambient images of an identity were presented in the study phase. In Experiments 1 and 2a-c, participants were asked whether a test image was in the study array; these experiments examined the robustness of ensemble coding. Experiment 1 replicated ensemble coding in an online sample; participants recognize images from the study array and the average of those images. Experiments 2a-c provide evidence that ensemble coding meets several criteria of a possible learning mechanism: It is robust to changes in head orientation (± 60o), survives a short (30s) delay, and persists when images of two identities are interleaved during the study phase. Experiment 3 examined whether ensemble coding is sufficient for face learning (i.e., facilitates recognition of novel images of a target identity). Each study array comprised four ambient images (variability + average), a single image, or an average of four images (average only). Participants were asked whether a novel test image showed the identity from a study array. Performance was best in the four-image condition, with no difference between the single-image and average-only conditions. We conclude that ensemble coding of facial identity is robust but that the perceptual average per se is not sufficient for face learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily E Davis
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Claire M Matthews
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Catherine J Mondloch
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
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12
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Stevenage SV, Edey R, Keay R, Morrison R, Robertson DJ. Familiarity Is Key: Exploring the Effect of Familiarity on the Face-Voice Correlation. Brain Sci 2024; 14:112. [PMID: 38391687 PMCID: PMC10887171 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14020112] [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: 12/24/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent research has examined the extent to which face and voice processing are associated by virtue of the fact that both tap into a common person perception system. However, existing findings do not yet fully clarify the role of familiarity in this association. Given this, two experiments are presented that examine face-voice correlations for unfamiliar stimuli (Experiment 1) and for familiar stimuli (Experiment 2). With care being taken to use tasks that avoid floor and ceiling effects and that use realistic speech-based voice clips, the results suggested a significant positive but small-sized correlation between face and voice processing when recognizing unfamiliar individuals. In contrast, the correlation when matching familiar individuals was significant and positive, but much larger. The results supported the existing literature suggesting that face and voice processing are aligned as constituents of an overarching person perception system. However, the difference in magnitude of their association here reinforced the view that familiar and unfamiliar stimuli are processed in different ways. This likely reflects the importance of a pre-existing mental representation and cross-talk within the neural architectures when processing familiar faces and voices, and yet the reliance on more superficial stimulus-based and modality-specific analysis when processing unfamiliar faces and voices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah V Stevenage
- School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Rebecca Edey
- School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Rebecca Keay
- School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Rebecca Morrison
- School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - David J Robertson
- Department of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1QE, UK
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13
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Kramer RS, Jarvis JL, Green M, Jones AL. The relationship between facial attractiveness and perceived guilt across types of crime. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2023:17470218231218651. [PMID: 37997346 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231218651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Facial first impressions influence jurors in both laboratory experiments and real courtrooms. Often, more attractive defendants are perceived as less guilty and receive more lenient sentences. However, the type of crime under consideration, as well as the ecological validity of the stimuli presented, may determine the nature of this bias. Here, extending previous work, we considered three crime types (robbery, sexual assault, and murder) and utilised short video clips of male defendants, accompanied by real-world crime descriptions. Crucially, we varied attractiveness by presenting a large set of identities, in comparison with the typical use of one "high" and one "low" attractive face. Using null hypothesis significance testing, we found no evidence that either attractiveness or crime type influenced guilt perceptions. Taking a Bayesian perspective, our results provided some evidence that more attractive defendants were rated as less guilty of murder but more guilty of sexual assault, with no bias observed for robbery. Importantly, however, none of these effects had high certainty and all were small in size. By comparing the extremes of attractiveness, we again found inconclusive evidence of any attractiveness effects, with small differences in all cases. The implications for this departure from previous findings are discussed in terms of ecological validity and the need to consider attractiveness as a continuous rather than binary measure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Michaela Green
- School of Psychology & Counselling, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - Alex L Jones
- School of Psychology, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
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14
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Klink H, Kaiser D, Stecher R, Ambrus GG, Kovács G. Your place or mine? The neural dynamics of personally familiar scene recognition suggests category independent familiarity encoding. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:11634-11645. [PMID: 37885126 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad397] [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: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Recognizing a stimulus as familiar is an important capacity in our everyday life. Recent investigation of visual processes has led to important insights into the nature of the neural representations of familiarity for human faces. Still, little is known about how familiarity affects the neural dynamics of non-face stimulus processing. Here we report the results of an EEG study, examining the representational dynamics of personally familiar scenes. Participants viewed highly variable images of their own apartments and unfamiliar ones, as well as personally familiar and unfamiliar faces. Multivariate pattern analyses were used to examine the time course of differential processing of familiar and unfamiliar stimuli. Time-resolved classification revealed that familiarity is decodable from the EEG data similarly for scenes and faces. The temporal dynamics showed delayed onsets and peaks for scenes as compared to faces. Familiarity information, starting at 200 ms, generalized across stimulus categories and led to a robust familiarity effect. In addition, familiarity enhanced category representations in early (250-300 ms) and later (>400 ms) processing stages. Our results extend previous face familiarity results to another stimulus category and suggest that familiarity as a construct can be understood as a general, stimulus-independent processing step during recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Klink
- Department of Neurology, Universitätsklinikum, Kastanienstraße1 Jena, D-07747 Jena, Thüringen, Germany
- Department of Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Leutragraben 1, D-07743 Jena, Thüringen, Germany
| | - Daniel Kaiser
- Mathematical Institute, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics, Geography, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, Arndtstraße 2, D-35392 Gießen, Hessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Justus-Liebig-University Gießen and Philipps-University Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Straße 6 Mehrzweckgeb, 03C022, Marburg, D-35032, Hessen, Germany
| | - Rico Stecher
- Mathematical Institute, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics, Geography, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, Arndtstraße 2, D-35392 Gießen, Hessen, Germany
| | - Géza G Ambrus
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole House P319, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset BH12 5BB, United Kingdom
| | - Gyula Kovács
- Department of Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Leutragraben 1, D-07743 Jena, Thüringen, Germany
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15
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Wiese H, Schipper M, Popova T, Burton AM, Young AW. Personal familiarity of faces, animals, objects, and scenes: Distinct perceptual and overlapping conceptual representations. Cognition 2023; 241:105625. [PMID: 37769520 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105625] [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: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
While face, object, and scene recognition are often studied at a basic categorization level (e.g. "a face", "a car", "a kitchen"), we frequently recognise individual items of these categories as unique entities (e.g. "my mother", "my car", "my kitchen"). This recognition of individual identity is essential to appropriate behaviour in our world. However, relatively little is known about how we recognise individually familiar visual stimuli. Using event-related brain potentials, the present study examined whether and to what extent the underlying neural representations of personally familiar items are similar or different across different categories. In three experiments, we examined the recognition of personally highly familiar faces, animals, indoor scenes, and objects. We observed relatively distinct familiarity effects in an early time window (200-400 ms), with a clearly right-lateralized occipito-temporal scalp distribution for human faces and more bilateral and posterior distributions for other stimulus categories, presumably reflecting access to at least partly discrete visual long-term representations. In contrast, we found clearly overlapping familiarity effects in a later time window (starting 400 to 500 ms after stimulus onset), again with a mainly right occipito-temporal scalp distribution, for all stimulus categories. These later effects appear to reflect the sustained activation of conceptual properties relevant to any potential interaction. We conclude that familiarity for items from the various visual stimulus categories tested here is represented differently at the perceptual level, while relatively overlapping conceptual mechanisms allow for the preparation of impending potential interaction with the environment.
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16
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Jeckeln G, Mamassian P, O'Toole AJ. Confidence judgments are associated with face identification accuracy: Findings from a confidence forced-choice task. Behav Res Methods 2023; 55:4118-4127. [PMID: 36513903 PMCID: PMC10700421 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-022-02009-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] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Confidence is assumed to be an indicator of identification accuracy in legal practices (e.g., forensic face examination). However, it is not clear whether people can evaluate the correctness of their face-identification decisions reliably using confidence reports. In the current experiment, confidence in the correctness of the perceptual decision was measured with a confidence forced-choice methodology: Upon completion of two perceptual face-identity matching trials, the participants were asked to compare the two decisions and to select the trial on which they felt more confident. On each face-identity matching trial, participants viewed three face images (two same-identity images, one different-identity image) and were instructed to select the image of the different identity. In order to measure the extent to which difficulty level informs confidence decisions, we selected face-image triads using item-difficulty estimates extracted from psychometric modeling applied in a prior study. The difference in difficulty between the paired face-image triads predicted the proportion of high-confidence judgments allocated to the easier trial of the pair. Consistent with the impact of difficulty monitoring on confidence judgments, performance was significantly more accurate on trials associated with higher confidence. Overall, the results suggested that people reliably evaluate the correctness of their perceptual face-identity matching decisions and use trial difficulty to evaluate confidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Géraldine Jeckeln
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA.
| | - Pascal Mamassian
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Perceptifs, Département d'Études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Alice J O'Toole
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
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17
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Andrews TJ, Rogers D, Mileva M, Watson DM, Wang A, Burton AM. A narrow band of image dimensions is critical for face recognition. Vision Res 2023; 212:108297. [PMID: 37527594 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2023.108297] [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: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
A key challenge in human and computer face recognition is to differentiate information that is diagnostic for identity from other sources of image variation. Here, we used a combined computational and behavioural approach to reveal critical image dimensions for face recognition. Behavioural data were collected using a sorting and matching task with unfamiliar faces and a recognition task with familiar faces. Principal components analysis was used to reveal the dimensions across which the shape and texture of faces in these tasks varied. We then asked which image dimensions were able to predict behavioural performance across these tasks. We found that the ability to predict behavioural responses in the unfamiliar face tasks increased when the early PCA dimensions (i.e. those accounting for most variance) of shape and texture were removed from the analysis. Image similarity also predicted the output of a computer model of face recognition, but again only when the early image dimensions were removed from the analysis. Finally, we found that recognition of familiar faces increased when the early image dimensions were removed, decreased when intermediate dimensions were removed, but then returned to baseline recognition when only later dimensions were removed. Together, these findings suggest that early image dimensions reflect ambient changes, such as changes in viewpoint or lighting, that do not contribute to face recognition. However, there is a narrow band of image dimensions for shape and texture that are critical for the recognition of identity in humans and computer models of face recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel Rogers
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Mila Mileva
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - David M Watson
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Ao Wang
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - A Mike Burton
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
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18
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Nudnou I, Post A, Saville A, Balas B. Putting people in context: ERP responses to bodies in natural scenes. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0283673. [PMID: 37883414 PMCID: PMC10602242 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The N190 is a body-sensitive ERP component that responds to images of human bodies in different poses. In natural settings, bodies vary in posture and appear within complex, cluttered environments, frequently with other people. In many studies, however, such variability is absent. How does the N190 response change when observers see images that incorporate these sources of variability? In two experiments (N = 16 each), we varied the natural appearance of upright and inverted bodies to examine how the N190 amplitude, latency, and the Body-Inversion Effect (BIE) were affected by natural variability. In Experiment 1, we varied the number of people present in upright and inverted naturalistic scenes such that only one body, a subitizable number of bodies, or a "crowd" was present. In Experiment 2, we varied the natural body appearance by presenting bodies either as silhouettes or with photographic detail. Further, we varied the natural background appearance by either removing it or presenting individual bodies within a rich environment. Using component-based analyses of the N190, we found that the number of bodies in a scene reduced the N190 amplitude, but didn't affect the BIE (Experiment 1). Naturalistic body and background appearance (Experiment 2) also affected the N190, such that component amplitude was dramatically reduced by naturalistic appearance. To complement this analysis, we examined the contribution of spatiotemporal features (i.e., electrode × time point amplitude) via SVM decoding. This technique allows us to examine which timepoints across the entire waveform contribute the most to successful decoding of body orientation in each condition. This analysis revealed that later timepoints (after 300ms) contribute most to successful orientation decoding. These results demonstrate that natural appearance variability affects body processing at the N190 and that later ERP components may make important contributions to body processing in natural scenes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilya Nudnou
- Department of Psychology, Center for Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, United States of America
| | - Abigail Post
- Department of Psychology, Center for Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, United States of America
| | - Alyson Saville
- Department of Psychology, Center for Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, United States of America
| | - Benjamin Balas
- Department of Psychology, Center for Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, United States of America
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19
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Yuen CN, Fitzgerald RJ, Juncu S. Catching wanted people at the border: prospective person memory and face matching in border control decisions. Memory 2023; 31:1218-1231. [PMID: 37646087 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2023.2250162] [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: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Border control officers may be on the lookout for wanted people while they verify that travellers match their passport photos. We developed a novel experimental paradigm to investigate whether people are more likely to report that someone is wanted if they also believe that person is using a fraudulent passport. In two experiments, undergraduate students assumed the role of a border control officer and completed multiple "shifts" of a face matching task designed to simulate a passport verification check. Before each shift participants viewed posters of wanted people and were instructed to report any sightings if a wanted person appeared in any of the images during the passport check. Participants were more likely to say an individual was wanted if they also believed the person did not match their passport image. In addition, the accuracy of wanted person sightings was reduced for trials with nonmatching passports compared to trials with matching passports. This suggests wanted people with matching passports were easier to spot because participants had an additional image to compare with their memory of the person in the wanted poster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camryn N Yuen
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
| | | | - Stefana Juncu
- Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
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20
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Wang Z, Wu T, Zhang W, Deng W, Li Y, Zhang L, Sun YHP, Jin H. High familiar faces have both eye recognition and holistic processing advantages. Atten Percept Psychophys 2023; 85:2296-2306. [PMID: 37794299 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-023-02792-4] [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] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
People recognize familiar faces better than unfamiliar faces. However, it remains unknown whether familiarity affects part-based and/or holistic processing. Wang et al., Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 559 (2015), Vision Research, 157, 89-96 (2019) found both enhanced part-based and holistic processing in eye relative to mouth regions (i.e., in a region-selective manner) for own-race and own-species faces, i.e., faces with more experience. Here, we examined the role of face familiarity in eyes (part-based, region-selective) and holistic processing. Face familiarity was tested at three levels: high-familiar (faces of students from the same department and the same class who attended almost all courses together), low-familiar (faces of students from the same department but different classes who attended some courses together), and unfamiliar (faces of schoolmates from different departments who seldom attended the same courses). Using the old/new task in Experiment 1, we found that participants recognized eyes of high-familiar faces better than low-familiar and unfamiliar ones, while similar performance was observed for mouths, indicating a region-selective, eyes familiarity effect. Using the "Perceptual field" paradigm in Experiment 2, we observed a stronger inversion effect for high-familiar faces, a weaker inversion effect for low-familiar faces, but a non-significant inversion effect for unfamiliar faces, indicating that face familiarity plays a role in holistic processing. Taken together, our results suggest that familiarity, like other experience-based variables (e.g., race and species), can improve both eye processing and holistic processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Wang
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ting Wu
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Weidong Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wenjing Deng
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yijun Li
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lushuang Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yu-Hao P Sun
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Haiyang Jin
- Division of Science, Department of Psychology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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21
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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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22
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Cook A, Thompson M, Ross P. Virtual first impressions: Zoom backgrounds affect judgements of trust and competence. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0291444. [PMID: 37756284 PMCID: PMC10529556 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Trait inferences from first impressions are drawn rapidly and spontaneously. However, the Covid-19 pandemic forced interactions online introducing differential influential factors on first impressions. As such, there is an absence of research investigating video background on videoconferencing impression formation. This study explored the influence of video background, facial expression, and gender on first impressions of trustworthiness and competence. Video background affected trustworthy and competence perceptions with Plants and Book backgrounds scoring highly on both dimensions while the Home and Novelty backgrounds consistently received the lowest ratings. Happy faces were perceived as more trustworthy and more competent while female faces were also rated as more trustworthy and more competent, regardless of the background they were using. The explanations for these findings are discussed, along with future directions for research and the implications for videoconferencing use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abi Cook
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Meg Thompson
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Paddy Ross
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
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23
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Gogan T, Beaudry J, Oldmeadow J. Knowledge of identity reduces variability in trait judgements across face images. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2023; 76:2053-2067. [PMID: 36259873 DOI: 10.1177/17470218221136118] [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] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Faces vary from image to image, eliciting different judgements of traits and often different judgements of identity. Knowledge that two face images belong to the same person facilitates the processing of identity information across images, but it is unclear if this also applies to trait judgements. In this preregistered study, participants (N = 100) rated the same 340 face images on perceived trustworthiness, dominance, or attractiveness presented in randomised order and again later presented in sets consisting of the same identity. We also explored the role of implicit person theory beliefs in the variability of social judgements across images. We found that judgements of trustworthiness varied less when images were presented in sets consisting of the same identity than in randomised order and were more consistent for images presented later in a set than those presented earlier. However, knowledge of identity had little effect on perceptions of dominance and attractiveness. Finally, implicit person theory beliefs were not associated with variability in social judgements and did not account for effects of knowledge of identity. Our findings suggest that knowledge of identity and perceptual familiarity stabilises judgements of trustworthiness, but not perceptions of dominance and attractiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor Gogan
- Department of Psychological Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, Australia
| | - Jennifer Beaudry
- Department of Psychological Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, Australia
- Research Development and Support, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
| | - Julian Oldmeadow
- Department of Psychological Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, Australia
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24
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Bobak AK, Jones AL, Hilker Z, Mestry N, Bate S, Hancock PJB. Data-driven studies in face identity processing rely on the quality of the tests and data sets. Cortex 2023; 166:348-364. [PMID: 37481857 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
There is growing interest in how data-driven approaches can help understand individual differences in face identity processing (FIP). However, researchers employ various FIP tests interchangeably, and it is unclear whether these tests 1) measure the same underlying ability/ies and processes (e.g., confirmation of identity match or elimination of identity match) 2) are reliable, 3) provide consistent performance for individuals across tests online and in laboratory. Together these factors would influence the outcomes of data-driven analyses. Here, we asked 211 participants to perform eight tests frequently reported in the literature. We used Principal Component Analysis and Agglomerative Clustering to determine factors underpinning performance. Importantly, we examined the reliability of these tests, relationships between them, and quantified participant consistency across tests. Our findings show that participants' performance can be split into two factors (called here confirmation and elimination of an identity match) and that participants cluster according to whether they are strong on one of the factors or equally on both. We found that the reliability of these tests is at best moderate, the correlations between them are weak, and that the consistency in participant performance across tests and is low. Developing reliable and valid measures of FIP and consistently scrutinising existing ones will be key for drawing meaningful conclusions from data-driven studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna K Bobak
- Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, United Kingdom.
| | - Alex L Jones
- School of Psychology, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom.
| | - Zoe Hilker
- Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, United Kingdom
| | - Natalie Mestry
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Bate
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, United Kingdom
| | - Peter J B Hancock
- Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, United Kingdom
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25
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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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26
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Xiang S, Zhao M, Yu L, Liu N. A common self-advantage across the implicit and explicit levels for self-body recognition. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1099151. [PMID: 37637928 PMCID: PMC10452875 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1099151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Although self-bias has been extensively studied and confirmed in various self-related stimuli, it remains controversial whether self-body can induce recognition advantage at the explicit level. After careful examination of previous experiments related to self-body processing, we proposed that participant strategies may influence explicit task outcomes. Methods To test our hypothesis, we designed a novel explicit task. For comparison, we also conducted classic explicit and implicit tasks. Results With the newly designed explicit task, we found clear and robust evidence of self-hand recognition advantage at the explicit level. Moreover, we found that there was a strong link between self-advantage found in the classic implicit task and the newly designed explicit task, indicating that the self-advantage processing by these two pathways may be linked. Discussion These findings provide new insights into the long-standing inconsistencies in previous studies and open a new avenue for studying self-bias using self-body stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sijia Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Minghui Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lunhao Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ning Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, China
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27
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Popova T, Wiese H. Developing familiarity during the first eight months of knowing a person: A longitudinal EEG study on face and identity learning. Cortex 2023; 165:26-37. [PMID: 37245406 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.04.008] [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: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
It is well-established that familiar and unfamiliar faces are processed differently, but surprisingly little is known about how familiarity builds up over time and how novel faces gradually become represented in the brain. Here, we used event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in a pre-registered, longitudinal study to examine the neural processes accompanying face and identity learning during the first eight months of knowing a person. Specifically, we examined how increasing real-life familiarity affects visual recognition (N250 Familiarity Effect) and the integration of person-related knowledge (Sustained Familiarity Effect, SFE). Sixteen first-year undergraduates were tested in three sessions, approximately one, five, and eight months after the start of the academic year, with highly variable "ambient" images of a new friend they had met at university and of an unfamiliar person. We observed clear ERP familiarity effects for the new friend after one month of familiarity. While there was an increase in the N250 effect over the course of the study, no change in the SFE was observed. These results suggest that visual face representations develop faster relative to the integration of identity-specific knowledge.
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28
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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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29
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Mayer M, Ramon M. Improving forensic perpetrator identification with Super-Recognizers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2220580120. [PMID: 37159477 PMCID: PMC10193965 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2220580120] [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: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
About a decade ago, Super-Recognizers (SRs) were first described as individuals with exceptional face identity processing abilities. Since then, various tests have been developed or adapted to assess individuals' abilities and identify SRs. The extant literature suggests that SRs may be beneficial in police tasks requiring individual identification. However, in reality, the performance of SRs has never been examined using authentic forensic material. This not only limits the external validity of test procedures used to identify SRs, but also claims concerning their deployment in policing. Here, we report the first-ever investigation of SRs' ability to identify perpetrators using authentic case material. We report the data of 73 SRs and 45 control participants. These include (a) performance on three challenging tests of face identity processing recommended by Ramon (2021) for SR identification; (b) performance for perpetrator identification using four CCTV sequences depicting five perpetrators and police line-ups created for criminal investigation purposes. Our findings demonstrate that the face identity processing tests used here are valid in measuring such abilities and identifying SRs. Moreover, SRs excel at perpetrator identification relative to control participants, with more correct perpetrator identifications, the better their performance across lab tests. These results provide external validity for the recently proposed diagnostic framework and its tests used for SR identification (Ramon, 2021). This study provides the first empirical evidence that SRs identified using these measures can be beneficial for forensic perpetrator identification. We discuss theoretical and practical implications for law enforcement, whose procedures can be improved via a human-centric approach centered around individuals with superior abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maren Mayer
- Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien (Knowledge Media Research Center), 72076Tübingen, Germany
| | - Meike Ramon
- Applied Face Cognition Lab, University of Lausanne, 1015Lausanne, Switzerland
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30
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Balas B, Sandford A, Ritchie K. Not the norm: Face likeness is not the same as similarity to familiar face prototypes. Iperception 2023; 14:20416695231171355. [PMID: 37151573 PMCID: PMC10161317 DOI: 10.1177/20416695231171355] [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: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Face images depicting the same individual can differ substantially from one another. Ecological variation in pose, expression, lighting, and other sources of appearance variability complicates the recognition and matching of unfamiliar faces, but acquired familiarity leads to the ability to cope with these challenges. Among the many ways that face of the same individual can vary, some images are judged to be better likenesses of familiar individuals than others. Simply put, these images look more like the individual under consideration than others. But what does it mean for an image to be a better likeness than another? Does likeness entail typicality, or is it something distinct from this? We examined the relationship between the likeness of face images and the similarity of those images to average images of target individuals using a set of famous faces selected for reciprocal familiarity/unfamiliarity across US and UK participants. We found that though likeness judgments are correlated with similarity-to-prototype judgments made by both familiar and unfamiliar participants, this correlation was smaller than the correlation between similarity judgments made by different participant groups. This implies that while familiarity weakens the relationship between likeness and similarity-to-prototype judgments, it does not change similarity-to-prototype judgments to the same degree.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Balas
- Psychology Department, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA
| | - Adam Sandford
- Psychology Department, University of Guelph-Humber, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kay Ritchie
- School of Psychology, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK
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31
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Pitcher D, Caulfield R, Burton AM. Provoked overt recognition in acquired prosopagnosia using multiple different images of famous faces. Cogn Neuropsychol 2023; 40:158-166. [PMID: 37840213 PMCID: PMC10791066 DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2023.2269648] [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: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Provoked overt recognition refers to the fact that patients with acquired prosopagnosia can sometimes recognize faces when presented in arrays of individuals from the same category (e.g., actors or politicians). We ask whether a prosopagnosic patient might experience recognition when presented with multiple different images of the same face simultaneously. Over two sessions, patient Herschel, a 66-year-old British man with acquired prosopagnosia, viewed face images individually or in arrays. On several occasions he failed to recognize single photos of an individual but successfully identified that person when the same photos were presented together. For example, Herschel failed to recognize any individual images of King Charles or Paul McCartney but recognised both in arrays of the same photos. Like reports based on category membership, overt recognition was transient and inconsistent. These findings are discussed in terms of models of covert recognition, alongside more recent research on within-person variability for face perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Pitcher
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, UK
| | | | - A. Mike Burton
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, UK
- Faculty of Society & Design, Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia
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32
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Schwartzman E, Alaei R, Rule NO. Accuracy and Consistency in Social Categorization Across Context, Motivation, and Time. SOCIAL COGNITION 2023. [DOI: 10.1521/soco.2023.41.2.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Photos provide a literal snapshot of a person in a particular context at a specific moment in time. Previous studies have found that people can accurately categorize others from single photos of their faces along various social dimensions, yet this research typically assumes that one photo of an individual representatively samples other photos of the same individual. Across four studies, we investigated this assumption by testing the consistency of perceptions of social categories (viz. sexual orientation and political affiliation) based on multiple photos of the same individuals. We found that judgments of social categories exceeded chance and significantly correlated across different photo contexts, across variability in targets’ motivations, and across time. These data supplement earlier work showing similar consistency for other types of social judgments. Thus, single face photos can consistently convey some aspects of an individual's appearance.
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33
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Fysh MC, Bindemann M. Understanding face matching. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2023; 76:862-880. [PMID: 35587796 PMCID: PMC10031636 DOI: 10.1177/17470218221104476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Many security settings rely on the identity matching of unfamiliar people, which has led this task to be studied extensively in Cognitive Psychology. In these experiments, observers typically decide whether pairs of faces depict one person (an identity match) or two different people (an identity mismatch). The visual similarity of the to-be-compared faces must play a primary role in how observers accurately resolve this task, but the nature of this similarity-accuracy relationship is unclear. The current study investigated the association between accuracy and facial similarity at the level of individual items (Experiments 1 and 2) and facial features (Experiments 3 and 4). All experiments demonstrate a strong link between similarity and matching accuracy, indicating that this forms the basis of identification decisions. At a feature level, however, similarity exhibited distinct relationships with match and mismatch accuracy. In matches, similarity information was generally shared across the features of a face pair under comparison, with greater similarity linked to higher accuracy. Conversely, features within mismatching face pairs exhibited greater variation in similarity information. This indicates that identity matches and mismatches are characterised by different similarity profiles, which present distinct challenges to the cognitive system. We propose that these identification decisions can be resolved through the accumulation of convergent featural information in matches and the evaluation of divergent featural information in mismatches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew C Fysh
- School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
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34
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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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35
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Ritchie KL, Flack TR, Maréchal L. Unfamiliar faces might as well be another species: Evidence from a face matching task with human and monkey faces. VISUAL COGNITION 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/13506285.2023.2184894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kay L. Ritchie
- School of Psychology, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK
| | - Tessa R. Flack
- School of Psychology, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK
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36
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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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37
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Stevenage SV, Singh L, Dixey P. The Curious Case of Impersonators and Singers: Telling Voices Apart and Telling Voices Together under Naturally Challenging Listening Conditions. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13020358. [PMID: 36831901 PMCID: PMC9954053 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13020358] [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: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Vocal identity processing depends on the ability to tell apart two instances of different speakers whilst also being able to tell together two instances of the same speaker. Whilst previous research has examined these voice processing capabilities under relatively common listening conditions, it has not yet tested the limits of these capabilities. Here, two studies are presented that employ challenging listening tasks to determine just how good we are at these voice processing tasks. In Experiment 1, 54 university students were asked to distinguish between very similar sounding, yet different speakers (celebrity targets and their impersonators). Participants completed a 'Same/Different' task and a 'Which is the Celebrity?' task to pairs of speakers, and a 'Real or Not?' task to individual speakers. In Experiment 2, a separate group of 40 university students was asked to pair very different sounding instances of the same speakers (speaking and singing). Participants were presented with an array of voice clips and completed a 'Pairs Task' as a variant of the more traditional voice sorting task. The results of Experiment 1 suggested that significantly more mistakes were made when distinguishing celebrity targets from their impersonators than when distinguishing the same targets from control voices. Nevertheless, listeners were significantly better than chance in all three tasks despite the challenge. Similarly, the results of Experiment 2 suggested that it was significantly more difficult to pair singing and speaking clips than to pair two speaking clips, particularly when the speakers were unfamiliar. Again, however, the performance was significantly above zero, and was again better than chance in a cautious comparison. Taken together, the results suggest that vocal identity processing is a highly adaptable task, assisted by familiarity with the speaker. However, the fact that performance remained above chance in all tasks suggests that we had not reached the limit of our listeners' capability, despite the considerable listening challenges introduced. We conclude that voice processing is far better than previous research might have presumed.
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38
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Siddique S, Sutherland CAM, Jeffery L, Swe D, Gwinn OS, Palermo R. Children show neural sensitivity to facial trustworthiness as measured by fast periodic visual stimulation. Neuropsychologia 2023; 180:108488. [PMID: 36681187 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108488] [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: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Adults exhibit neural responses over the visual occipito-temporal area in response to faces that vary in how trustworthy they appear. However, it is not yet known when a mature pattern of neural sensitivity can be seen in children. Using a fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) paradigm, face images were presented to 8-to-9-year-old children (an age group which shows development of trust impressions; N = 31) and adult (N = 33) participants at a rate of 6 Hz (6 face images per second). Within this sequence, an 'oddball' face differing in the level of facial trustworthiness compared to the other faces, was presented at a rate of 1 Hz (once per second). Children were sensitive to variations in facial trustworthiness, showing reliable and significant neural responses at 1 Hz in the absence of instructions to respond to facial trustworthiness. Additionally, the magnitude of children's and adults' neural responses was similar, with strong Bayesian evidence that implicit neural responses to facial trustworthiness did not differ across the groups, and therefore, that visual sensitivity to differences in facial trustworthiness can show mature patterns by this age. Thus, nine or less years of social experience, perceptual and/or cognitive development may be sufficient for adult-like neural sensitivity to facial trustworthiness to emerge. We also validate the use of the FPVS methodology to examine children's implicit face-based trust processing for the first time, which is especially valuable in developmental research because this paradigm requires no explicit instructions or responses from participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saba Siddique
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, 6009, Australia.
| | - Clare A M Sutherland
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, 6009, Australia; School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, UK.
| | - Linda Jeffery
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, 6009, Australia; School of Population Health, Curtin University, Kent St, Bentley WA 6102, Australia.
| | - Derek Swe
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, 6009, Australia.
| | - O Scott Gwinn
- College of Education, Psychology, and Social Work, Flinders University, Sturt Rd, Bedford Park SA 5042, Australia.
| | - Romina Palermo
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, 6009, Australia.
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39
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How quickly do we learn new faces in everyday life? Neurophysiological evidence for face identity learning after a brief real-life encounter. Cortex 2023; 159:205-216. [PMID: 36640620 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.12.005] [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: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Faces learnt in a single experimental session elicit a familiarity effect in event-related brain potentials (ERPs), with more negative amplitudes for newly learnt relative to unfamiliar faces in the N250 component. However, no ERP study has examined face learning following a brief real-life encounter, and it is not clear how long it takes to learn new faces in such ecologically more valid conditions. To investigate these questions, the present study examined whether robust image-independent representations, as reflected in the N250 familiarity effect, could be established after a brief unconstrained social interaction by analysing the ERPs elicited by highly variable images of the newly learnt identity and an unfamiliar person. Significant N250 familiarity effects were observed after a 30-min (Experiment 1) and a 10-min (Experiment 2) encounter, and a trend was observed after 5 min of learning (Experiment 3), demonstrating that 5-10 min of exposure were sufficient for the initial establishment of image-independent representations. Additionally, the magnitude of the effects reported after 10 and 30 min was comparable suggesting that the first 10 min of a social encounter might be crucial, with extra 20 min from the same encounter not adding further benefit for the initial formation of robust face representations.
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40
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Koca Y, Oriet C. From Pictures to the People in Them: Averaging Within-Person Variability Leads to Face Familiarization. Psychol Sci 2023; 34:252-264. [PMID: 36469760 DOI: 10.1177/09567976221131520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Familiar faces can be confidently recognized despite sometimes radical changes in their appearance. Exposure to within-person variability-differences in facial characteristics over successive encounters-contributes to face familiarization. Research also suggests that viewers create mental averages of the different views of faces they encounter while learning them. Averaging over within-person variability is thus a promising mechanism for face familiarization. In Experiment 1, 153 Canadian undergraduates (88 female; age: M = 21 years, SD = 5.24) learned six target identities from eight different photos of each target interspersed among 32 distractor identities. Face-matching accuracy improved similarly irrespective of awareness of the target's identity, confirming that target faces presented among distractors can be learned incidentally. In Experiment 2, 170 Canadian undergraduates (125 female; age: M = 22.6 years, SD = 6.02) were tested using a novel indirect measure of learning. The results show that viewers update a mental average of a person's face as it becomes learned. Our findings are the first to show how averaging within-person variability over time leads to face familiarization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaren Koca
- Department of Psychology, University of Regina
| | - Chris Oriet
- Department of Psychology, University of Regina
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41
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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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42
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Talker and accent familiarity yield advantages for voice identity perception: A voice sorting study. Mem Cognit 2023; 51:175-187. [PMID: 35274221 PMCID: PMC9943951 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-022-01296-0] [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] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In the current study, we examine and compare the effects of talker and accent familiarity in the context of a voice identity sorting task, using naturally varying voice recording samples from the TV show Derry Girls. Voice samples were thus all spoken with a regional accent of UK/Irish English (from [London]derry). We tested four listener groups: Listeners were either familiar or unfamiliar with the TV show (and therefore the talker identities) and were either highly familiar or relatively less familiar with Northern Irish accents. Both talker and accent familiarity significantly improved accuracy of voice identity sorting performance. However, the talker familiarity benefits were overall larger, and more consistent. We discuss the results in light of a possible hierarchy of familiarity effects and argue that our findings may provide additional evidence for interactions of speech and identity processing pathways in voice identity perception. We also identify some key limitations in the current work and provide suggestions for future studies to address these.
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43
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Honig T, Shoham A, Yovel G. Perceptual similarity modulates effects of learning from variability on face recognition. Vision Res 2022; 201:108128. [PMID: 36272208 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2022.108128] [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: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Face recognition is a challenging classification task that humans perform effortlessly for familiar faces. Recent studies have emphasized the importance of exposure to high variability appearances of the same identity to perform this task. However, these studies did not explicitly measure the perceptual similarity between the learned images and the images presented at test, which may account for the advantage of learning from high variability. Particularly, randomly selected test images are more likely to be perceptually similar to learned high variability images, and dissimilar to learned low variability images. Here we dissociated effects of learning from variability and study-test perceptual similarity, by collecting human similarity ratings for the study and test images. Using these measures, we independently manipulated the variability between the learning images and their perceptual similarity to the test images. Different groups of participants learned face identities from a low or high variability set of images. The learning phase was followed by a face matching test (Experiment 1) or a face recognition task (Experiment 2) that presented novel images of the learned identities that were perceptually dissimilar or similar to the learned images. Results of both experiments show that perceptual similarity between study and test, rather than image variability at learning per se, predicts face recognition. We conclude that learning from high variability improves face recognition for perceptually similar but not for perceptually dissimilar images. These findings may not be specific to faces and should be similarly evaluated for other domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Honig
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Adva Shoham
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Galit Yovel
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
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44
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Třebický V, Havlíček J, Kleisner K. A replication that requires replication: Commentary on Caton et al. (2022). EVOL HUM BEHAV 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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45
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Sutherland CAM, Young AW. Understanding trait impressions from faces. Br J Psychol 2022; 113:1056-1078. [PMID: 35880691 PMCID: PMC9796653 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Impressions from faces are made remarkably quickly and they can underpin behaviour in a wide variety of social contexts. Over the last decade many studies have sought to trace the links between facial cues and social perception and behaviour. One such body of work has shown clear overlap between the fields of face perception and social stereotyping by demonstrating a role for conceptual stereotypes in impression formation from faces. We integrate these results involving conceptual influences on impressions with another substantial body of research in visual cognition which demonstrates that much of the variance in impressions can be predicted from perceptual, data-driven models using physical cues in face images. We relate this discussion to the phylogenetic, cultural, individual and developmental origins of facial impressions and define priority research questions for the field including investigating non-WEIRD cultures, tracking the developmental trajectory of impressions and determining the malleability of impression formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare A. M. Sutherland
- School of Psychology, King's CollegeUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenUK,School of Psychological ScienceUniversity of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
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Mattavelli G, Gorrino I, Cesana E, De Angelis J, Ricciardelli P. Illumination and gaze effects on face evaluation: The Bi-AGI database. Front Psychol 2022; 13:948142. [PMID: 36312184 PMCID: PMC9608625 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.948142] [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: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Face evaluation and first impression generation can be affected by multiple face elements such as invariant facial features, gaze direction and environmental context; however, the composite modulation of eye gaze and illumination on faces of different gender and ages has not been previously investigated. We aimed at testing how these different facial and contextual features affect ratings of social attributes. Thus, we created and validated the Bi-AGI Database, a freely available new set of male and female face stimuli varying in age across lifespan from 18 to 87 years, gaze direction and illumination conditions. Judgments on attractiveness, femininity-masculinity, dominance and trustworthiness were collected for each stimulus. Results evidence the interaction of the different variables in modulating social trait attribution, in particular illumination differently affects ratings across age, gaze and gender, with less impact on older adults and greater effect on young faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Mattavelli
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICoN) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy
- Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Pavia Institute, Pavia, Italy
- *Correspondence: Giulia Mattavelli,
| | - Irene Gorrino
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICoN) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Cesana
- Department of Psychology, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Jacopo De Angelis
- Department of Psychology, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Ricciardelli
- Department of Psychology, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- Milan Centre for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
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Latif M, Moulson MC. The importance of internal and external features in recognizing faces that vary in familiarity and race. Perception 2022; 51:820-840. [PMID: 36154747 PMCID: PMC9557812 DOI: 10.1177/03010066221122299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Familiar and unfamiliar faces are recognized in fundamentally different ways. One
way in which recognition differs is in terms of the features that facilitate
recognition: previous studies have shown that familiar face recognition depends
more on internal facial features (i.e., eyes, nose and mouth), whereas
unfamiliar face recognition depends more on external facial features (i.e.,
hair, ears and contour). However, very few studies have examined the recognition
of faces that vary in both familiarity and race, and the reliance on different
facial features, whilst also using faces that incorporate natural within-person
variability. In the current study, we used an online version of the card sorting
task to assess adults’ (n = 258) recognition of faces that
varied in familiarity and race when presented with either the whole face,
internal features only, or external features only. Adults better recognized
familiar faces than unfamiliar faces in both the whole face and the internal
features only conditions, but not in the external features only condition.
Reasons why adults did not show an own-race advantage in recognition are
discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menahal Latif
- Menahal Latif, Department of Psychology,
Toronto Metropolitan University (Formerly Ryerson University), Toronto, Ontario
M5B 2K3, Canada.
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Tüttenberg SC, Wiese H. Event-related brain potential correlates of the other-race effect: A review. Br J Psychol 2022; 114 Suppl 1:24-44. [PMID: 36018312 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
People are better at remembering own-race relative to other-race faces. Here, we review event-related brain potential (ERP) correlates of this so-called other-'race' effect (ORE) by discussing three critical aspects that characterize the neural signature of this phenomenon. First, difficulties with other-race faces initially emerge during perceptual processing, which is indexed by an increased N170. Second, as evidenced by 'difference due to subsequent memory' effects, more effortful processing of other-race faces is needed for successful encoding into long-term memory. Third, ERP old/new effects reveal that a stronger engagement of processing resources is also required for successful retrieval of other-race faces from memory. The ERP evidence available to date thus suggests widespread ethnicity-related modulations during both perceptual and mnemonic processing stages. We further discuss how findings from the ORE compared with potentially related memory biases (e.g. other-gender or other-age effects) and how ERP findings inform the ongoing debate regarding the mechanisms underlying the ORE. Finally, we outline open questions and potential future directions with an emphasis on using multiple, ecologically more valid 'ambient' images for each face to assess the ORE in paradigms that capture identity rather than image recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone C Tüttenberg
- Experimental Neuropsychology Unit, Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Holger Wiese
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, UK
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Schwartz L, Cohen M, Xu S, Liu J, Yovel G. Social-encoding benefit in face recognition is generalized to other-race faces. Br J Psychol 2022; 114 Suppl 1:213-229. [PMID: 36018320 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12592] [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: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Faces are visual stimuli that convey rich social information. Previous experiments found better recognition for faces that were evaluated based on their social traits than on their perceptual features during encoding. Here, we ask whether this social-encoding benefit in face recognition is also found for categories of faces that we have no previous social experience with, such as other-race faces. To answer this question, we first explored whether social and perceptual evaluations for other-race faces are consistent and valid. We then asked whether social evaluations during encoding improve recognition for other-race faces. Results show that social and perceptual evaluations of own- and other-race faces were valid. We also found high agreement in social and perceptual evaluations across individuals from different races. This indicates that evaluations of other-race faces are not random but meaningful. Furthermore, we found that social evaluations facilitated face recognition regardless of race, demonstrating a social-encoding benefit for both own- and other-race faces. Our findings highlight the role of social information in face recognition and show how it can be used to improve recognition of categories of faces that are hard to recognize due to lack of experience with them.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Shan Xu
- Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jia Liu
- Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Gogan T, Beaudry J, Oldmeadow J. Image variability and face matching. Perception 2022; 51:804-819. [PMID: 35989636 DOI: 10.1177/03010066221119088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
This study investigates whether variability in perceived trait judgements disrupts our ability to match unfamiliar faces. In this preregistered study, 174 participants completed a face matching task where they were asked to indicate whether two ambient face images belonged to the same person or different people (17,748 total data points). Participants completed 51 match trials consisting of images of the same person that differed substantially on one trait (either trustworthiness, dominance or attractiveness) with minimal differences in the alternate traits. Participants also completed 51 mismatch trials which contained two photos of similar-looking individuals. We hypothesised that participants would make more errors on match trials when images differed in terms of attractiveness ratings than when they differed on trustworthiness or dominance. Contrary to expectations, images that differed in terms of attractiveness were matched most accurately, and there was no relationship between the extent of differences in attractiveness ratings and accuracy. There was some evidence that differences in perceived dominance and, to a lesser extent, trustworthiness were associated with lower face matching performance. However, these relationships were not significant when alternate traits were accounted for. The findings of our study suggest that face matching performance is largely robust against variation in trait judgements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor Gogan
- 3783Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
| | - Jennifer Beaudry
- 3783Swinburne University of Technology, Australia; 1065Flinders University, Australia
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