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Burns EJ. Improving the DSM-5 approach to cognitive impairment: Developmental prosopagnosia reveals the need for tailored diagnoses. Behav Res Methods 2024:10.3758/s13428-024-02459-4. [PMID: 38977608 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-024-02459-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
The Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) recommends diagnosing neurocognitive disorders (i.e., cognitive impairment) when a patient scores beyond - 1 SD below neurotypical norms on two tests. I review how this approach will fail due to cognitive tests' power limitations, validity issues, imperfect reliabilities, and biases, before summarizing their resulting negative consequences. As a proof of concept, I use developmental prosopagnosia, a condition characterized by difficulties recognizing faces, to show the DSM-5 only diagnoses 62-70% (n1 = 61, n2 = 165) versus 100% (n1 = 61) through symptoms alone. Pooling the DSM-5 missed cases confirmed the presence of group-level impairments on objective tests, which were further evidenced through meta-analyses, thus validating their highly atypical symptoms. These findings support a paradigm shift towards bespoke diagnostic approaches for distinct cognitive impairments, including a symptom-based method when validated effective. I reject dogmatic adherence to the DSM-5 approach to neurocognitive disorders, and underscore the importance of a data driven, transdiagnostic approach to understanding patients' subjective cognitive impairments. This will ultimately benefit patients, their families, clinicians, and scientific progress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin J Burns
- Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
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2
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Ventura M, Caffò AO, Manippa V, Rivolta D. Normative data of the Italian Famous Face Test. Sci Rep 2024; 14:15276. [PMID: 38961204 PMCID: PMC11222389 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-66252-1] [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: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The faces we see in daily life exist on a continuum of familiarity, ranging from personally familiar to famous to unfamiliar faces. Thus, when assessing face recognition abilities, adequate evaluation measures should be employed to discriminate between each of these processes and their relative impairments. We here developed the Italian Famous Face Test (IT-FFT), a novel assessment tool for famous face recognition in typical and clinical populations. Normative data on a large sample (N = 436) of Italian individuals were collected, assessing both familiarity (d') and recognition accuracy. Furthermore, this study explored whether individuals possess insights into their overall face recognition skills by correlating the Prosopagnosia Index-20 (PI-20) with the IT-FFT; a negative correlation between these measures suggests that people have a moderate insight into their face recognition skills. Overall, our study provides the first online-based Italian test for famous faces (IT-FFT), a test that could be used alongside other standard tests of face recognition because it complements them by evaluating real-world face familiarity, providing a more comprehensive assessment of face recognition abilities. Testing different aspects of face recognition is crucial for understanding both typical and atypical face recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Ventura
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour, and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Alessandro Oronzo Caffò
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Valerio Manippa
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
| | - Davide Rivolta
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
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3
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Leong BQZ, Hussain Ismail AM, Wong HK, Estudillo AJ. The heterogeneity of holistic processing profiles in developmental prosopagnosia: holistic processing is impaired but not absent. Cogn Neuropsychol 2024:1-19. [PMID: 38953598 DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2024.2371384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Although it is generally assumed that face recognition relies on holistic processing, whether face recognition deficits observed in Developmental Prosopagnosics (DPs) can be explained by impaired holistic processing is currently under debate. The mixed findings from past studies could be the consequence of DP's heterogeneous deficit nature and the use of different measures of holistic processing-the inversion, part-whole, and composite tasks-which showed a poor association among each other. The present study aimed to gain further insight into the role of holistic processing in DPs. Groups of DPs and neurotypicals completed three tests measuring holistic face processing and non-face objects (i.e., Navon task). At a group level, DPs showed (1) diminished, but not absent, inversion and part-whole effects, (2) comparable magnitudes of the composite face effect and (3) global precedence effect in the Navon task. However, single-case analyses showed that these holistic processing deficits in DPs are heterogeneous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan Qi Zheng Leong
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK
| | | | - Hoo Keat Wong
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia
| | - Alejandro J Estudillo
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK
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4
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Nørkær E, Gobbo S, Roald T, Starrfelt R. Disentangling developmental prosopagnosia: A scoping review of terms, tools and topics. Cortex 2024; 176:161-193. [PMID: 38795651 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.04.011] [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: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
The goal of this preregistered scoping review is to create an overview of the research on developmental prosopagnosia (DP). Through analysis of all empirical studies of DP in adults, we investigate 1) how DP is conceptualized and defined, 2) how individuals are classified with DP and 3) which aspects of DP are investigated in the literature. We reviewed 224 peer-reviewed studies of DP. Our analysis of the literature reveals that while DP is predominantly defined as a lifelong face recognition impairment in the absence of acquired brain injury and intellectual/cognitive problems, there is far from consensus on the specifics of the definition with some studies emphasizing e.g., deficits in face perception, discrimination and/or matching as core characteristics of DP. These differences in DP definitions is further reflected in the vast heterogeneity in classification procedures. Only about half of the included studies explicitly state how they classify individuals with DP, and these studies adopt 40 different assessment tools. The two most frequently studied aspects of DP are the role of holistic processing and the specificity of face processing, and alongside a substantial body of neuroimaging studies of DP, this paints a picture of a research field whose scientific interests and aims are rooted in cognitive neuropsychology and neuroscience. We argue that these roots - alongside the heterogeneity in DP definition and classification - may have limited the scope and interest of DP research unnecessarily, and we point to new avenues of research for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erling Nørkær
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Silvia Gobbo
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Italy
| | - Tone Roald
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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5
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DeGutis J, Kirsch L, Evans TC, Fry R, Lee DJ, Mishra M, Campbell A. Perceptual heterogeneity in developmental prosopagnosia is continuous, not categorical. Cortex 2024; 176:37-52. [PMID: 38744075 PMCID: PMC11223780 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.03.011] [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: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is associated with considerable perceptual heterogeneity, though the nature of this heterogeneity and whether there are discrete subgroups versus continuous deficits remains unclear. Bennetts et al. (2022) recently found that holistic versus featural processing deficits distinguished discrete DP subgroups, but their sample was relatively small (N = 37), and subgroups were defined using a single task. To characterize perceptual heterogeneity in DPs more comprehensively, we administered a broad face perception battery to a large sample of 109 DPs and 134 controls, including validated measures of face matching (Cambridge Face Perception Test - CFPT, Computerized Benton Facial Recognition Test, Same/Different Face Matching Task), holistic processing (Part-Whole Task), and feature processing (Georges Task and Part-Whole part trials). When examining face matching measures, DPs exhibited a similar distribution of performance as controls, though shifted towards impairment by an average of 1.4 SD. We next applied Bennetts (2022) hierarchical clustering approach and k-means clustering to the CFPT upright, inverted, and inversion index measures, similarly finding one group of DPs with poorer inverted face performance and another with a decreased face inversion effect (holistic processing). However, these subgroup differences failed to generalize to other measures of feature and holistic processing beyond the CFPT. We finally ran hierarchical and k-means cluster analyses on our larger battery of face matching, feature, and holistic processing measures. Results clearly showed subgroups with generally better versus worse performance across all measures, with the distinction between groups being somewhat arbitrary. Together, these findings support a continuous account of DP perceptual heterogeneity, with performance differing primarily across all aspects of face perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph DeGutis
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Leah Kirsch
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Travis C Evans
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Regan Fry
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel J Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maruti Mishra
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; California State University, Bakersfield, CA, USA
| | - Alison Campbell
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
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6
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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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7
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Gobbo S, Lega C, De Sandi A, Daini R. The role of preSMA and STS in face recognition: A transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) study. Neuropsychologia 2024; 198:108877. [PMID: 38555065 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108877] [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: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Current models propose that facial recognition is mediated by two independent yet interacting anatomo-functional systems: one processing facial features mainly mediated by the Fusiform Face Area and the other involved in the extraction of dynamic information from faces, subserved by Superior Temporal Sulcus (STS). Also, the pre-Supplementary Motor Area (pre-SMA) is implicated in facial expression processing as it is involved in its motor mimicry. However, the literature only shows evidence of the implication of STS and preSMA for facial expression recognition, without relating it to face recognition. In addition, the literature shows a facilitatory role of facial motion in the recognition of unfamiliar faces, particularly for poor recognizers. The present study aimed at studying the role of STS and preSMA in unfamiliar face recognition in people with different face recognition skills. 34 healthy participants received repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the right posterior STS, pre-SMA and as sham during a task of matching of faces encoded through: facial expression, rigid head movement or as static (i.e., absence of any facial or head motion). All faces were represented without emotional content. Results indicate that STS has a direct role in recognizing identities through rigid head movement and an indirect role in facial expression processing. This dissociation represents a step forward with respect to current face processing models suggesting that different types of motion involve separate brain and cognitive processes. PreSMA interacts with face recognition skills, increasing the performance of poor recognizers and decreasing that of good recognizers in all presentation conditions. Together, the results suggest the use of at least partially different mechanisms for face recognition in poor and good recognizers and a different role of STS and preSMA in face recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Gobbo
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
| | - Carlotta Lega
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Roberta Daini
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
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8
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Sun Y, Men W, Kennerknecht I, Fang W, Zheng HF, Zhang W, Rao Y. Human genetics of face recognition: discovery of MCTP2 mutations in humans with face blindness (congenital prosopagnosia). Genetics 2024; 227:iyae047. [PMID: 38547502 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyae047] [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: 12/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Face recognition is important for both visual and social cognition. While prosopagnosia or face blindness has been known for seven decades and face-specific neurons for half a century, the molecular genetic mechanism is not clear. Here we report results after 17 years of research with classic genetics and modern genomics. From a large family with 18 congenital prosopagnosia (CP) members with obvious difficulties in face recognition in daily life, we uncovered a fully cosegregating private mutation in the MCTP2 gene which encodes a calcium binding transmembrane protein expressed in the brain. After screening through cohorts of 6589, we found more CPs and their families, allowing detection of more CP associated mutations in MCTP2. Face recognition differences were detected between 14 carriers with the frameshift mutation S80fs in MCTP2 and 19 noncarrying volunteers. Six families including one with 10 members showed the S80fs-CP correlation. Functional magnetic resonance imaging found association of impaired recognition of individual faces by MCTP2 mutant CPs with reduced repetition suppression to repeated facial identities in the right fusiform face area. Our results have revealed genetic predisposition of MCTP2 mutations in CP, 76 years after the initial report of prosopagnosia and 47 years after the report of the first CP. This is the first time a gene required for a higher form of visual social cognition was found in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Sun
- Chinese Institutes for Medical Research, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Weiwei Men
- Center for MRI Research, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Beijing Key Lab for Medical Physics and Engineering, Institute of Heavy Ion Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Ingo Kennerknecht
- Institute of Human Genetics, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Wan Fang
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Hou-Feng Zheng
- School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310024, China
| | - Wenxia Zhang
- Chinese Institutes for Medical Research, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yi Rao
- Chinese Institutes for Medical Research, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518107, China
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9
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Gignac GE, Palermo R, Bothe E, Walker DL, Wilmer JB. Face perception and facial emotional expression recognition ability: Both unique predictors of the broader autism phenotype. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024; 77:1140-1153. [PMID: 37710359 PMCID: PMC11103922 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231203679] [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: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the broader autistic phenotype (BAP) have been suggested to be associated with perceptual-cognitive difficulties processing human faces. However, the empirical results are mixed, arguably, in part due to inadequate samples and analyses. Consequently, we administered the Cambridge Face Perception Test (CFPT), the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), a vocabulary test, and the Autism Quotient (AQ) to a sample of 318 adults in the general community. Based on a disattenuated path analytic modelling strategy, we found that both face perception ability (β = -.21) and facial emotional expression recognition ability (β = -.27) predicted uniquely and significantly the Communication dimension of AQ. Vocabulary failed to yield a significant, direct effect onto the Communication dimension of the AQ. We conclude that difficulties perceiving information from the faces of others may contribute to difficulties in nonverbal communication, as conceptualised and measured within the context of BAP.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ellen Bothe
- University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
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10
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Davies-Thompson J, Morgan D, Davis JP, Towler JR. Face Feature Change Detection Ability in Developmental Prosopagnosia and Super-Recognisers. Brain Sci 2024; 14:561. [PMID: 38928560 PMCID: PMC11201608 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14060561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In non-clinical populations, facial features (eyes, nose, mouth) may vary in their contribution to face identity perception. Changes to whole faces are easier to detect than changes to individual features, and eye changes are typically easier to detect than mouth changes, which in turn are easier to detect than nose changes. However, how this differs for people with face recognition difficulties (developmental prosopagnosia; DP) and for individuals with superior face recognition abilities (super-recognisers; SR) is not clear; although findings from previous studies have suggested differences, the nature of this difference is not understood. The aim of this study was to examine whether differences in the ability to detect feature changes in DPs and SRs were (a) quantitative, meaning that the pattern across feature changes remained the same but there was an overall upwards or downwards shift in performance, or (b) qualitative, meaning that the pattern across feature changes was different. Using a change detection task in which individual face features (eyes, nose, mouth) changed between sequentially presented faces, we found that while prosopagnosics showed a quantitative difference in performance with a downwards shift across all conditions, super-recognisers only showed qualitative differences: they were better able to detect when the face was the same and were marginally (but not non-significantly) worse at detecting when the eyes changed. Further, the only condition which distinguished between the three groups was the ability to identify when the same face was presented, with SRs being better than controls, and controls being better than DPs. Our findings suggest that, in feature-matching tasks, differences for DPs are due to them being overall worse at the task, while SRs use a qualitatively different strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodie Davies-Thompson
- School of Psychology, Vivian Tower, Faculty of Medicine, Human & Health Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK (J.R.T.)
| | - Daniel Morgan
- School of Psychology, Vivian Tower, Faculty of Medicine, Human & Health Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK (J.R.T.)
| | | | - John R. Towler
- School of Psychology, Vivian Tower, Faculty of Medicine, Human & Health Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK (J.R.T.)
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Oishi Y, Aruga K, Kurita K. Relationship between face recognition ability and anxiety tendencies in healthy young individuals: A prosopagnosia index and state-trait anxiety inventory study. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2024; 245:104237. [PMID: 38537601 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104237] [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: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is a condition that indicates the inability to recognize individuals by their faces from birth, without any history of brain damage. The assessment of face recognition ability and diagnosis of DP involve the use of face tests such as the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT) and the Cambridge Face Perception Test, along with self-reported measures like the 20-Item Prosopagnosia Index (PI20). Face recognition accuracy is affected by anxiety. However, previous studies on the relationship between face recognition ability and anxiety have not used the PI20 measure. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between self-reported measures of face recognition ability and anxiety tendencies among healthy young individuals for DP diagnosis and its implications. We used a face recognition test, involving the PI20, CFMT, Visual Perception Test for Agnosia-Famous Face Test (VPTA-FFT), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). We assessed the performance of 116 Japanese young adults (75 females, median age of 20.7 years, with a standard deviation of 1.2). Subsequently, we conducted a statistical analysis to examine the relationship between the outcomes of the face recognition tests and STAI scores using Pearson correlation analysis and single correlation coefficients. The results showed a positive correlation between state anxiety and PI20 (r = 0.308, p = 0.007), and a weak positive correlation was also observed between trait anxiety and PI20 (r = 0.268, p = 0.04). In contrast, there was no correlation between CFMT and VPTA-FFT with respect to STAI. The results of the hierarchical multiple regression analysis also suggested that the correlation between the performance on the PI20 (self-report) and objective measures of face recognition performance (the CFMT and the VPTA-FFT) are driven by differences in anxiety. This study is the first to explore the relationship between face recognition abilities and anxiety using the PI20 self-report measure. There are implications for future research on the diagnosis of DP and the relationship between anxiety and face recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuka Oishi
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, 1398 Shimami-cho, Kita-ku, Niigata City, Niigata 950-3198, Japan; Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Graduate School Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Shimami-cho, Kita-ku, Niigata City, Niigata 950-3198, Japan.
| | - Kaede Aruga
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, 1398 Shimami-cho, Kita-ku, Niigata City, Niigata 950-3198, Japan
| | - Kohei Kurita
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba City, Chiba 260-8670, Japan
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12
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Bennetts RJ, Gregory NJ, Bate S. Both identity and non-identity face perception tasks predict developmental prosopagnosia and face recognition ability. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6626. [PMID: 38503841 PMCID: PMC10951298 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57176-x] [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: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is characterised by deficits in face identification. However, there is debate about whether these deficits are primarily perceptual, and whether they extend to other face processing tasks (e.g., identifying emotion, age, and gender; detecting faces in scenes). In this study, 30 participants with DP and 75 controls completed a battery of eight tasks assessing four domains of face perception (identity; emotion; age and gender; face detection). The DP group performed worse than the control group on both identity perception tasks, and one task from each other domain. Both identity perception tests uniquely predicted DP/control group membership, and performance on two measures of face memory. These findings suggest that deficits in DP may arise from issues with face perception. Some non-identity tasks also predicted DP/control group membership and face memory, even when face identity perception was accounted for. Gender perception and speed of face detection consistently predicted unique variance in group membership and face memory; several other tasks were only associated with some measures of face recognition ability. These findings indicate that face perception deficits in DP may extend beyond identity perception. However, the associations between tasks may also reflect subtle aspects of task demands or stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel J Bennetts
- Division of Psychology, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK.
| | | | - Sarah Bate
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK
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13
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Lowes J, Hancock PJB, Bobak AK. A new way of classifying developmental prosopagnosia: Balanced Integration Score. Cortex 2024; 172:159-184. [PMID: 38330779 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.12.011] [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] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Despite severe everyday problems recognising faces, some individuals with developmental prosopagnosia (DP) can achieve typical accuracy scores on laboratory face recognition tests. To address this, studies sometimes also examine response times (RTs), which tend to be longer in DPs relative to control participants. In the present study, 24 potential (according to self-report) DPs and 110 age-matched controls completed the Cambridge Face and Bicycle Memory Tests, old new faces task, and a famous faces test. We used accuracy and the Balanced Integration Score (BIS), a measure that adjusts accuracy for RTs, to classify our sample at the group and individual levels. Subjective face recognition ability was assessed using the PI20 questionnaire and semi structured interviews. Fifteen DPs showed a major impairment using BIS compared with only five using accuracy alone. Logistic regression showed that a model incorporating the BIS measures was the most sensitive for classifying DP and showed highest area under the curve (AUC). Furthermore, larger between-group effect sizes were observed for a derived global (averaged) memory measure calculated using BIS versus accuracy alone. BIS is thus an extremely sensitive novel measure for attenuating speed-accuracy trade-offs that can otherwise mask impairment measured only by accuracy in DP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Lowes
- Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, United Kingdom.
| | - Peter J B Hancock
- Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, United Kingdom
| | - Anna K Bobak
- Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, United Kingdom
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14
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Faghel-Soubeyrand S, Ramon M, Bamps E, Zoia M, Woodhams J, Richoz AR, Caldara R, Gosselin F, Charest I. Decoding face recognition abilities in the human brain. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae095. [PMID: 38516275 PMCID: PMC10957238 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Why are some individuals better at recognizing faces? Uncovering the neural mechanisms supporting face recognition ability has proven elusive. To tackle this challenge, we used a multimodal data-driven approach combining neuroimaging, computational modeling, and behavioral tests. We recorded the high-density electroencephalographic brain activity of individuals with extraordinary face recognition abilities-super-recognizers-and typical recognizers in response to diverse visual stimuli. Using multivariate pattern analyses, we decoded face recognition abilities from 1 s of brain activity with up to 80% accuracy. To better understand the mechanisms subtending this decoding, we compared representations in the brains of our participants with those in artificial neural network models of vision and semantics, as well as with those involved in human judgments of shape and meaning similarity. Compared to typical recognizers, we found stronger associations between early brain representations of super-recognizers and midlevel representations of vision models as well as shape similarity judgments. Moreover, we found stronger associations between late brain representations of super-recognizers and representations of the artificial semantic model as well as meaning similarity judgments. Overall, these results indicate that important individual variations in brain processing, including neural computations extending beyond purely visual processes, support differences in face recognition abilities. They provide the first empirical evidence for an association between semantic computations and face recognition abilities. We believe that such multimodal data-driven approaches will likely play a critical role in further revealing the complex nature of idiosyncratic face recognition in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Faghel-Soubeyrand
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
- Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H2V 2S9, Canada
| | - Meike Ramon
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Eva Bamps
- Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven ON5, Belgium
| | - Matteo Zoia
- Department for Biomedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Jessica Woodhams
- Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H2V 2S9, Canada
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Hills Building, Edgbaston Park Rd, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | | | - Roberto Caldara
- Département de Psychology, Université de Fribourg, Fribourg CH-1700, Switzerland
| | - Frédéric Gosselin
- Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H2V 2S9, Canada
| | - Ian Charest
- Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H2V 2S9, Canada
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15
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Bate S, Murray E, Bennetts RJ. Familial Transmission of Developmental Prosopagnosia: New Case Reports from an Extended Family and Identical Twins. Brain Sci 2024; 14:49. [PMID: 38248264 PMCID: PMC10813035 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14010049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/31/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Existing evidence suggests that developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is a surprisingly prevalent condition, with some individuals describing lifelong difficulties with facial identity recognition. Together with case reports of multiple family members with the condition, this evidence suggests that DP is inherited in at least some instances. Here, we offer some novel case series that further support the heritability of the condition. First, we describe five adult siblings who presented to our lab with symptoms of DP. Second, for the first known time in the literature, we describe a pair of adult identical twins who contacted us in the belief that they both experience DP. The condition was confirmed in three of the five siblings (with minor symptoms observed in the remaining two) and in both twins. Supplementary assessments suggested that all individuals also experienced some degree of difficulty with facial identity perception, but that object recognition was preserved. These findings bolster the evidence supporting the heritability of DP and suggest that it can be a specific impairment in some cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Bate
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole BH12 5BB, UK
| | - Ebony Murray
- Department of Psychological Sciences, School of Natural and Social Sciences, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham GL50 4AZ, UK;
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16
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Gerlach C, Mogensen E. The face inversion effect does not provide a pure measure of holistic face processing. Behav Res Methods 2024; 56:330-341. [PMID: 36624338 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-022-02054-5] [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: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
It is widely held that upright faces are processed more holistically than inverted faces and that this difference is reflected in the face inversion effect. It is not clear, however, how the inversion effect can best be measured, whether it is task specific, or even whether it specifically correlates with processing of upright faces. We examined these questions in a large sample (N = 420) who provided data on processing of upright and inverted stimuli in two different tasks with faces and one with objects. We find that the inversion effects are task dependent, and that they do not correlate better among face processing tasks than they do across face and object processing tasks. These findings were obtained regardless of whether inversion effects were measured by means of difference scores or regression. In comparison, only inversion effects based on regression predicted performance with upright faces in tasks other than those the inversion effects were derived from. Critically, however, inversion effects based on regression also predicted performance with inverted faces to a similar degree as they predicted performance with upright faces. Consequently, and contrary to what is commonly assumed, inversion effects do not seem to capture effects specific to holistic processing of upright faces. While the present findings do not bring us closer to an understanding of which changes in cognitive processing are induced by inversion, they do suggest that inversion effects do not reflect a unitary construct; an implicit assumption that seems to characterize much of the research regarding face processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Gerlach
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230, Odense, Denmark.
| | - Erik Mogensen
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230, Odense, Denmark
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17
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Kramer RS, Tree JJ. Investigating people's metacognitive insight into their own face abilities. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2023:17470218231218662. [PMID: 37997434 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231218662] [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
Within the domain of face processing, researchers have been interested in quantifying the relationship between objective (i.e., performance on laboratory tests of recognition and matching) and subjective measures of ability (typically, self-report questionnaires). Put simply, do people show high levels of metacognitive insight into their own abilities with faces? Although several studies have suggested that the association between these two types of measures may only be moderate, there remain several important issues that require consideration before this question can be sensibly investigated. First, specificity is needed regarding both objective and subjective measurements because both tend to span a wide range of potentially separable abilities. Second, experimental tasks appear to focus on different contexts to those tapped in self-report questionnaire items. Third, recent issues with statistical approaches and visualisation can result in numerical artefacts and misinterpretations. Finally, the sizes of population-level insights suggested by recent work provide only limited information regarding individuals within these populations, and so researchers aiming to identify people at the extremes of ability must be careful when drawing conclusions. Taken together, we argue that more attention to these issues is needed when attempting to investigate metacognitive insight within this domain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeremy J Tree
- Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
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18
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Fry R, Li X, Evans TC, Esterman M, Tanaka J, DeGutis J. Investigating the Influence of Autism Spectrum Traits on Face Processing Mechanisms in Developmental Prosopagnosia. J Autism Dev Disord 2023; 53:4787-4808. [PMID: 36173532 PMCID: PMC10812037 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05705-w] [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: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Autism traits are common exclusionary criteria in developmental prosopagnosia (DP) studies. We investigated whether autism traits produce qualitatively different face processing in 43 DPs with high vs. low autism quotient (AQ) scores. Compared to controls (n = 27), face memory and perception were similarly deficient in the high- and low-AQ DPs, with the high-AQ DP group additionally showing deficient face emotion recognition. Task-based fMRI revealed reduced occipito-temporal face selectivity in both groups, with high-AQ DPs additionally demonstrating decreased posterior superior temporal sulcus selectivity. Resting-state fMRI showed similar reduced face-selective network connectivity in both DP groups compared with controls. Together, this demonstrates that high- and low-AQ DP groups have very similar face processing deficits, with additional facial emotion deficits in high-AQ DPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regan Fry
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, 150 S. Huntington Ave., 182JP, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xian Li
- Psychological and Brain Science Department, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Travis C Evans
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, 150 S. Huntington Ave., 182JP, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael Esterman
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, 150 S. Huntington Ave., 182JP, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
| | - James Tanaka
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Joseph DeGutis
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, 150 S. Huntington Ave., 182JP, Boston, MA, 02130, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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19
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Kho SK, Keeble D, Wong HK, Estudillo AJ. Null effect of anodal and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on own- and other-race face recognition. Soc Neurosci 2023; 18:393-406. [PMID: 37840302 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2023.2263924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Successful face recognition is important for social interactions and public security. Although some preliminary evidence suggests that anodal and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) might modulate own- and other-race face identification, respectively, the findings are largely inconsistent. Hence, we examined the effect of both anodal and cathodal tDCS on the recognition of own- and other-race faces. Ninety participants first completed own- and other-race Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT) as baseline measurements. Next, they received either anodal tDCS, cathodal tDCS or sham stimulation and finally they completed alternative versions of the own- and other-race CFMT. No difference in performance, in terms of accuracy and reaction time, for own- and other-race face recognition between anodal tDCS, cathodal tDCS and sham stimulation was found. Our findings cast doubt upon the efficacy of tDCS to modulate performance in face identification tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siew Kei Kho
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia
| | - David Keeble
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom
| | - Hoo Keat Wong
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom
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20
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Stantić M, Brown K, Ichijo E, Pounder Z, Catmur C, Bird G. Independent measurement of face perception, face matching, and face memory reveals impairments in face perception and memory, but not matching, in autism. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:2240-2249. [PMID: 37312015 PMCID: PMC10728234 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02304-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Multiple psychological processes are required in order for a face to be recognised from memory. However, when testing face memory using tasks such as the Cambridge Face Memory Task (CFMT), it is rare for studies to attempt to account for individual differences in face perception and face matching in order to isolate variance in face memory specifically. In Study 1, the Oxford Face Matching Test (OFMT) was used to assess face matching and face perception in a large sample of participants (N = 1,112). Results revealed independent contributions of face perception and matching to CFMT performance, and these results replicated with the Glasgow Face Matching Test. In Study 2, the same procedure was used to test face perception, face matching and face memory in a group of 57 autistic adults and a matched neurotypical control group. Results revealed impaired face perception and memory in the individuals with autism, but intact face matching. Face perception may therefore act as a potential intervention target for individuals with autism who exhibit face recognition impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirta Stantić
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Katie Brown
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Eri Ichijo
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Zoë Pounder
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Geoffrey Bird
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
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21
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Burns EJ, Gaunt E, Kidane B, Hunter L, Pulford J. A new approach to diagnosing and researching developmental prosopagnosia: Excluded cases are impaired too. Behav Res Methods 2023; 55:4291-4314. [PMID: 36459376 PMCID: PMC9718472 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-022-02017-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Developmental prosopagnosia is characterized by severe, lifelong difficulties when recognizing facial identity. Unfortunately, the most common diagnostic assessment (Cambridge Face Memory Test) misses 50-65% of individuals who believe that they have this condition. This results in such excluded cases' absence from scientific knowledge, effect sizes of impairment potentially overestimated, treatment efficacy underrated, and may elicit in them a negative experience of research. To estimate their symptomology and group-level impairments in face processing, we recruited a large cohort who believes that they have prosopagnosia. Matching prior reports, 56% did not meet criteria on the Cambridge Face Memory Test. However, the severity of their prosopagnosia symptoms and holistic perception deficits were comparable to those who did meet criteria. Excluded cases also exhibited face perception and memory impairments that were roughly one standard deviation below neurotypical norms, indicating the presence of objective problems. As the prosopagnosia index correctly classified virtually every case, we propose it should be the primary method for providing a diagnosis, prior to subtype categorization. We present researchers with a plan on how they can analyze these excluded prosopagnosia cases in their future work without negatively impacting their traditional findings. We anticipate such inclusion will enhance scientific knowledge, more accurately estimate effect sizes of impairments and treatments, and identify commonalities and distinctions between these different forms of prosopagnosia. Owing to their atypicalities in visual perception, we recommend that the prosopagnosia index should be used to screen out potential prosopagnosia cases from broader vision research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin J Burns
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK.
| | - Elizabeth Gaunt
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Betiel Kidane
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Lucy Hunter
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Jaylea Pulford
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
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22
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Fitousi D, Azizi O. Navon letters and composite faces: same or different processing mechanisms? Front Psychol 2023; 14:1219821. [PMID: 38023009 PMCID: PMC10652416 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219821] [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: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Navon letters and composite faces are two fascinating demonstrations of hierarchical organization in perception. Many researchers believe that the two types of stimuli and their associated tasks gauge comparable holistic mechanisms. This belief is so common that the two paradigms are now being applied in tandem to measure impaired holistic processing in prosopagnosic patients. But are Navon letters and composite faces processed in a similar fashion? In the present study we take a closer look at their apparent affinity. We gain novel insights into their underlying mechanisms by fitting parameters of the linear ballistic accumulator (LBA) model to empirical correct and incorrect response times (RTs). The results reveal major differences in processing between the two tasks. We conclude that despite the presence of a compelling surface similarity, Navon compound letters and composite faces tap into separate psychological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Fitousi
- Department of Psychology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
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23
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Kamensek T, Susilo T, Iarocci G, Oruc I. Are people with autism prosopagnosic? Autism Res 2023; 16:2100-2109. [PMID: 37740564 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
Difficulties in various face processing tasks have been well documented in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Several meta-analyses and numerous case-control studies have indicated that this population experiences a moderate degree of impairment, with a small percentage of studies failing to detect any impairment. One possible account of this mixed pattern of findings is heterogeneity in face processing abilities stemming from the presence of a subpopulation of prosopagnosic individuals with ASD alongside those with normal face processing skills. Samples randomly drawn from such a population, especially relatively smaller ones, would vary in the proportion of participants with prosopagnosia, resulting in a wide range of group-level deficits from mild (or none) to severe across studies. We test this prosopagnosic subpopulation hypothesis by examining three groups of participants: adults with ASD, adults with developmental prosopagnosia (DP), and a comparison group. Our results show that the prosopagnosic subpopulation hypothesis does not account for the face impairments in the broader autism spectrum. ASD observers show a continuous and graded, rather than categorical, heterogeneity that span a range of face processing skills including many with mild to moderate deficits, inconsistent with a prosopagnosic subtype account. We suggest that pathogenic origins of face deficits for at least some with ASD differ from those of DP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd Kamensek
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Tirta Susilo
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Grace Iarocci
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Ipek Oruc
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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24
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Sommer W, Kotowski K, Shi Y, Switonski A, Hildebrandt A, Stapor K. Explicit face memory abilities are positively related to the non-intentional encoding of faces: Behavioral and ERP evidence. Biol Psychol 2023; 183:108672. [PMID: 37689176 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
Individual differences in face memory abilities have been shown to be related to individual differences in brain activity. The present study investigated brain-behavior relationships for the N250 component in event-related brain potentials, which is taken as a neural sign of face familiarity. We used a task in which a designated, typical target face and several (high- and low-distinctive) nontarget faces had to be distinguished during multiple presentations across a session. Separately, face memory/recognition abilities were measured with easy versus difficult tasks. We replicated an increase of the N250 amplitude to the target face across the session and observed a similar increase for the non-target faces, indicating the build-up of memory representations also for these faces. On the interindividual level, larger across-session N250 amplitude increases to low-distinctive non-target faces were related to faster face recognition as measured in an easy task. These findings indicate that non-intentional encoding of non-target faces into memory is associated with the swift recognition of explicitly learned faces; that is, there is shared variance of incidental and intentional face memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Werner Sommer
- Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Department of Psychology, Germany; Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jin Hua, China.
| | - Krzysztof Kotowski
- Silesian University of Technology, Department of Applied Informatics, Gliwice, Poland
| | - Yang Shi
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jin Hua, China
| | - Adam Switonski
- Silesian University of Technology, Department of Graphics, Computer Vision and Digital Systems, Gliwice, Poland
| | - Andrea Hildebrandt
- Department of Psychology and Research Center Neurosensory Science, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Katarzyna Stapor
- Silesian University of Technology, Department of Applied Informatics, Gliwice, Poland.
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25
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Manippa V, Palmisano A, Ventura M, Rivolta D. The Neural Correlates of Developmental Prosopagnosia: Twenty-Five Years on. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1399. [PMID: 37891769 PMCID: PMC10605188 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13101399] [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: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Faces play a crucial role in social interactions. Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) refers to the lifelong difficulty in recognizing faces despite the absence of obvious signs of brain lesions. In recent decades, the neural substrate of this condition has been extensively investigated. While early neuroimaging studies did not reveal significant functional and structural abnormalities in the brains of individuals with developmental prosopagnosia (DPs), recent evidence identifies abnormalities at multiple levels within DPs' face-processing networks. The current work aims to provide an overview of the convergent and contrasting findings by examining twenty-five years of neuroimaging literature on the anatomo-functional correlates of DP. We included 55 original papers, including 63 studies that compared the brain structure (MRI) and activity (fMRI, EEG, MEG) of healthy control participants and DPs. Despite variations in methods, procedures, outcomes, sample selection, and study design, this scoping review suggests that morphological, functional, and electrophysiological features characterize DPs' brains, primarily within the ventral visual stream. Particularly, the functional and anatomical connectivity between the Fusiform Face Area and the other face-sensitive regions seems strongly impaired. The cognitive and clinical implications as well as the limitations of these findings are discussed in light of the available knowledge and challenges in the context of DP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Manippa
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70122 Bari, Italy; (V.M.); (A.P.); (M.V.)
| | - Annalisa Palmisano
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70122 Bari, Italy; (V.M.); (A.P.); (M.V.)
- Chair of Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience, TUD Dresden University of Technology, 01069 Dresden, Germany
| | - Martina Ventura
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70122 Bari, Italy; (V.M.); (A.P.); (M.V.)
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour, and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney 2145, Australia
| | - Davide Rivolta
- Department of Education, Psychology and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70122 Bari, Italy; (V.M.); (A.P.); (M.V.)
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26
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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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Bell L, Duchaine B, Susilo T. Dissociations between face identity and face expression processing in developmental prosopagnosia. Cognition 2023; 238:105469. [PMID: 37216847 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105469] [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: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with developmental prosopagnosia (DPs) experience severe and lifelong deficits recognising faces, but whether their deficits are selective to the processing of face identity or extend to the processing of face expression remains unclear. Clarifying this issue is important for understanding DP impairments and advancing theories of face processing. We compared identity and expression processing in a large sample of DPs (N = 124) using three different matching tasks that each assessed identity and expression processing with identical experimental formats. We ran each task in upright and inverted orientations and we measured inversion effects to assess the integrity of upright-specific face processes. We report three main results. First, DPs showed large deficits at discriminating identity but only subtle deficits at discriminating expression. Second, DPs showed a reduced inversion effect for identity but a normal inversion effect for expression. Third, DPs' performance on the expression tasks were linked to autism traits, but their performance on the identity tasks were not. These results constitute several dissociations between identity and expression processing in DP, and they are consistent with the view that the core impairment in DP is highly selective to identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Bell
- Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
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28
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Dal Lago D, Burns E, Gaunt E, Peers E, Jackson RC, Wilcockson TDW. Alcohol Use Predicts Face Perception Impairments and Difficulties in Face Recognition. Subst Use Misuse 2023; 58:1734-1741. [PMID: 37602741 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2023.2247059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Background: Risky alcohol use is related to a variety of cognitive impairments, including memory and visuo-perceptual difficulties. Remarkably, no prior work has assessed whether usage of alcohol can predict difficulties perceiving facial identity. Objectives: Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether riskier alcohol consumption predicted impairments in face perception and self-reported difficulties in face recognition. Results: Participants (N = 239, male = 77) were over 18 years old and had normal or corrected-to-normal vision. Alcohol use was assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), while face recognition difficulties were determined by the 20-item Prosopagnosia Index questionnaire (PI20). A subsample of participants (N = 126, male = 51) completed the Cambridge Face Perception task (CFPT) to assess their face perception ability. Multiple linear regressions showed significant models of prediction on both face perception and face recognition when considering AUDIT score and age as predictors. Conclusion: This study suggested, for the first time, that risky alcohol use predicts both poorer visuo-perceptual processing for faces and self-reported difficulties in face recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Dal Lago
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
| | - Edwin Burns
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Elizabeth Gaunt
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Emma Peers
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Robin C Jackson
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
| | - Thomas D W Wilcockson
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
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29
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Portch E, Wignall L, Bate S. Why can people with developmental prosopagnosia recognise some familiar faces? Insights from subjective experience. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15497. [PMID: 37483961 PMCID: PMC10361072 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental prosopagnosia is a relatively common visuo-cognitive condition, characterised by impaired facial identity recognition. Impairment severity appears to reside on a continuum, however, it is unknown whether instances of milder deficits reflect the successful use of spontaneous (typical) face recognition strategies, or the application of extraneous compensatory cues to recognition. Here, we explore this issue in two studies. First, 23 adults with developmental prosopagnosia were asked about their use of spontaneous versus compensatory face recognition techniques in everyday life, using a series of closed- and open-ended questions. Second, the same participants performed a computerised famous face recognition task where they were asked to provide reasons why they could make any successful identifications. Findings from both studies suggest that people with developmental prosopagnosia can successfully, and quite frequently, use compensatory strategies to recognition, and that these cues support the majority of instances of preserved familiar face recognition. In contrast, 16 of the 23 participants were able to spontaneously recognise familiar faces on at least some occasions, but there were vast individual differences in frequencies of success. These findings have important implications for our conceptualisation of the condition, as well as for diagnostic practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Portch
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, United Kingdom
| | - Liam Wignall
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Bate
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, United Kingdom
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30
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Epihova G, Cook R, Andrews TJ. Recognition of animal faces is impaired in developmental prosopagnosia. Cognition 2023; 237:105477. [PMID: 37156079 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
An on-going debate in psychology and neuroscience concerns the way faces and objects are represented. Domain-specific theories suggest that faces are processed via a specialised mechanism, separate from objects. Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is a neurodevelopmental disorder in which there is a deficit in the ability to recognize conspecific (human) faces. It is unclear, however, whether prosopagnosia also affects recognition of heterospecific (animal) faces. To address this question, we compared recognition performance with human and animal faces in neurotypical controls and participants with DP. We found that DPs showed deficits in the recognition of both human and animal faces compared to neurotypical controls. In contrast to, we found no group-level deficit in the recognition of animate or inanimate non-face objects in DPs. Using an individual-level approach, we demonstrate that in 60% of cases in which face recognition is impaired, there is a concurrent deficit with animal faces. Together, these results show that DPs have a general deficit in the recognition of faces that encompass a range of configural and morphological structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Epihova
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK; MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Richard Cook
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK; School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
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31
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Face distortions in prosopometamorphopsia provide new insights into the organization of face perception. Neuropsychologia 2023; 182:108517. [PMID: 36813107 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108517] [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: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
Prosopometamorphopsia (PMO) is a striking condition of visual perception in which facial features appear distorted, for example drooping, swelling, or twisting. Although numerous cases have been reported, few of those investigations have carried out formal testing motivated by theories of face perception. However, because PMO involves conscious visual distortions to faces which participants can report, it can be used to probe fundamental questions about face representations. Here we review cases of PMO that address theoretical questions in visual neuroscience including face specificity, inverted face processing, the importance of the vertical midline, dissociable representations for each half of the face, hemispheric specialization, the relationship between face recognition and conscious face perception, and the reference frames that face representations are embedded within. Finally, we list and touch upon eighteen open questions that make clear how much is left to learn about PMO and the potential it has to provide important advances in face perception.
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32
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DeGutis J, Bahierathan K, Barahona K, Lee E, Evans TC, Shin HM, Mishra M, Likitlersuang J, Wilmer JB. What is the prevalence of developmental prosopagnosia? An empirical assessment of different diagnostic cutoffs. Cortex 2023; 161:51-64. [PMID: 36905701 PMCID: PMC10065901 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The prevalence of developmental prosopagnosia (DP), lifelong face recognition deficits, is widely reported to be 2-2.5%. However, DP has been diagnosed in different ways across studies, resulting in differing prevalence rates. In the current investigation, we estimated the range of DP prevalence by administering well-validated objective and subjective face recognition measures to an unselected web-based sample of 3116 18-55 year-olds and applying DP diagnostic cutoffs from the last 14 years. We found estimated prevalence rates ranged from .64-5.42% when using a z-score approach and .13-2.95% when using a percentile approach, with the most commonly used cutoffs by researchers having a prevalence rate of .93% (z-score, .45% when using percentiles). We next used multiple cluster analyses to examine whether there was a natural grouping of poorer face recognizers but failed to find consistent grouping beyond those with generally above versus below average face recognition. Lastly, we investigated whether DP studies with more relaxed diagnostic cutoffs were associated with better performance on the Cambridge Face Perception Test. In a sample of 43 studies, there was a weak nonsignificant association between greater diagnostic strictness and better DP face perception accuracy (Kendall's tau-b correlation, τb =.18 z-score; τb = .11 percentiles). Together, these results suggest that researchers have used more conservative DP diagnostic cutoffs than the widely reported 2-2.5% prevalence. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using more inclusive cutoffs, such as identifying mild and major forms of DP based on DSM-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph DeGutis
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Kanisha Bahierathan
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Katherine Barahona
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - EunMyoung Lee
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Travis C Evans
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hye Min Shin
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maruti Mishra
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Jirapat Likitlersuang
- Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jeremy B Wilmer
- Department of Psychology, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, USA
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33
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Music perception in acquired prosopagnosia. Neuropsychologia 2023; 183:108540. [PMID: 36913989 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acquired prosopagnosia is often associated with other deficits such as dyschromatopsia and topographagnosia, from damage to adjacent perceptual networks. A recent study showed that some subjects with developmental prosopagnosia also have congenital amusia, but problems with music perception have not been described with the acquired variant. OBJECTIVE Our goal was to determine if music perception was also impaired in subjects with acquired prosopagnosia, and if so, its anatomic correlate. METHOD We studied eight subjects with acquired prosopagnosia, all of whom had extensive neuropsychological and neuroimaging testing. They performed a battery of tests evaluating pitch and rhythm processing, including the Montréal Battery for the Evaluation of Amusia. RESULTS At the group level, subjects with anterior temporal lesions were impaired in pitch perception relative to the control group, but not those with occipitotemporal lesions. Three of eight subjects with acquired prosopagnosia had impaired musical pitch perception while rhythm perception was spared. Two of the three also showed reduced musical memory. These three reported alterations in their emotional experience of music: one reported music anhedonia and aversion, while the remaining two had changes consistent with musicophilia. The lesions of these three subjects affected the right or bilateral temporal poles as well as the right amygdala and insula. None of the three prosopagnosic subjects with lesions limited to the inferior occipitotemporal cortex exhibited impaired pitch perception or musical memory, or reported changes in music appreciation. CONCLUSION Together with the results of our previous studies of voice recognition, these findings indicate an anterior ventral syndrome that can include the amnestic variant of prosopagnosia, phonagnosia, and various alterations in music perception, including acquired amusia, reduced musical memory, and subjective reports of altered emotional experience of music.
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34
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Rahavi A, Malaspina M, Albonico A, Barton JJS. "Looking at nothing": An implicit ocular motor index of face recognition in developmental prosopagnosia. Cogn Neuropsychol 2023; 40:59-70. [PMID: 37612792 DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2023.2250510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Subjects often look towards to previous location of a stimulus related to a task even when that stimulus is no longer visible. In this study we asked whether this effect would be preserved or reduced in subjects with developmental prosopagnosia. Participants learned faces presented in video-clips and then saw a brief montage of four faces, which was replaced by a screen with empty boxes, at which time they indicated whether the learned face had been present in the montage. Control subjects were more likely to look at the blank location where the learned face had appeared, on both hit and miss trials, though the effect was larger on hit trials. Prosopagnosic subjects showed a reduced effect, though still better on hit than on miss trials. We conclude that explicit accuracy and our implicit looking at nothing effect are parallel effects reflecting the strength of the neural activity underlying face recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Rahavi
- Human Vision and Eye Movement Laboratory, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Manuela Malaspina
- Human Vision and Eye Movement Laboratory, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Andrea Albonico
- Human Vision and Eye Movement Laboratory, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Jason J S Barton
- Departments of Medicine (Neurology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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35
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Walker DL, Palermo R, Callis Z, Gignac GE. The association between intelligence and face processing abilities: A conceptual and meta-analytic review. INTELLIGENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2022.101718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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36
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Individuals with developmental prosopagnosia show independent impairments in face perception, face memory and face matching. Cortex 2022; 157:266-273. [PMID: 36368179 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with developmental prosopagnosia (DP) all exhibit impairments in face memory, but the specificity of these face memory impairments is debated. One problem is that standard behavioural tasks are not able to provide independent measurement of face perception, face memory, and face matching (the decision process required to judge whether two instances of a face are of the same individual or different individuals). The present study utilised a new test of face matching, the Oxford Face Matching Test (OFMT), and a novel analysis strategy to derive these independent indices. Twenty-nine individuals with DP and the same number of matched neurotypical controls completed the OFMT, the Glasgow Face Matching Test, and the Cambridge Face Memory Test. Results revealed individuals with DP exhibit impairments in face perception, face memory and face matching. Collectively, these results suggest that face processing impairments in DP are more comprehensive than has previously been suggested.
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37
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Bennetts RJ, Gregory NJ, Tree J, Di Bernardi Luft C, Banissy MJ, Murray E, Penton T, Bate S. Face specific inversion effects provide evidence for two subtypes of developmental prosopagnosia. Neuropsychologia 2022; 174:108332. [PMID: 35839963 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Many studies have attempted to identify the perceptual underpinnings of developmental prosopagnosia (DP). The majority have focused on whether holistic and configural processing mechanisms are impaired in DP. However, previous work suggests that there is substantial heterogeneity in holistic and configural processing within the DP population; further, there is disagreement as to whether any deficits are face-specific or reflect a broader perceptual deficit. This study used a data-driven approach to examine whether there are systematic patterns of variability in DP that reflect different underpinning perceptual deficits. A group of individuals with DP (N = 37) completed a cognitive battery measuring holistic/configural and featural processing in faces and non-face objects. A two-stage cluster analysis on data from the Cambridge Face Perception Test identified two subgroups of DPs. Across several tasks, the first subgroup (N = 21) showed typical patterns of holistic/configural processing (measured via inversion effects); the second (N = 16) was characterised by reduced or abolished inversion effects compared to age-matched control participants (N = 91). The subgroups did not differ on tasks measuring upright face matching, object matching, non-face holistic processing, or composite effects. These findings indicate two separable pathways to face recognition impairment, one characterised by impaired configural processing and the other potentially by impaired featural processing. Comparisons to control participants provide some preliminary evidence that the deficit in featural processing may extend to some non-face stimuli. Our results demonstrate the utility of examining both the variability between and consistency across individuals with DP as a means of illuminating our understanding of face recognition in typical and atypical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel J Bennetts
- College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University, UK.
| | | | - Jeremy Tree
- Department of Psychology, Swansea University, UK
| | | | - Michael J Banissy
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, UK; Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
| | - Ebony Murray
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Gloucestershire, UK
| | - Tegan Penton
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
| | - Sarah Bate
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, UK
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38
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The relationships between reading fluency and different measures of holistic word processing. Atten Percept Psychophys 2022; 84:1734-1756. [PMID: 35556234 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-022-02497-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Recently, paradigms in the face recognition literature have been adopted to reveal holistic processing in word recognition. It is unknown, however, whether different measures of holistic word processing share similar underlying mechanisms, and whether fluent word reading relies on holistic word processing. We measured holistic processing effects in three paradigms (composite, configural sensitivity, part-whole) as well as in reading fluency (3DM task: reading aloud high- and low-frequency words and pseudowords). Bin scores were used to combine accuracy and response time variables in the quest for a more comprehensive, reliable, and valid measure of holistic processing. Weak correlations were found between the different holistic processing measures, with only a significant correlation between the configural sensitivity effect and part-whole effect (r = .32) and a trend of a positive correlation between the word composite effect and configural sensitivity effect (r = .21). Of the three holistic processing measures, only one (part-whole effect) correlated with a lexical access measure of 3DM (r = .23). We also performed a principal component analysis (PCA) of performance in the three lists of 3DM, with the second most probably reflecting lexical access processes. There was a tendency for a positive correlation between part-whole bin measure and Component 2 of PCA. We also found a positive correlation between composite aligned in accuracy and Component 2 of PCA.Our results show that different measures of holistic word processing reflect predominantly different mechanisms, and that differences among normal readers in word reading do not seem to depend highly on holistic processing.
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39
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Tsantani M, Gray KLH, Cook R. New evidence of impaired expression recognition in developmental prosopagnosia. Cortex 2022; 154:15-26. [PMID: 35728295 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.05.008] [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: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by lifelong face recognition difficulties. To date, it remains unclear whether or not individuals with DP experience impaired recognition of facial expressions. It has been proposed that DPs may have sufficient perceptual ability to correctly interpret facial expressions when tasks are relatively easy (e.g., the stimuli are unambiguous and viewing conditions are optimal), but exhibit subtle impairments when tested under more challenging conditions. In the present study, we sought to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to test this view. It is well-established that the surgical-type masks worn during the pandemic hinder the recognition and interpretation of facial emotion in typical participants. Relative to typical participants, we hypothesized that DPs may be disproportionately impaired when asked to interpret the facial emotion of people wearing face masks. We compared the ability of 34 DPs and 60 age-matched typical controls to recognize facial emotions i) when the whole face is visible, and ii) when the lower portion of the face is covered with a surgical mask. When expression stimuli were viewed without a mask, the DPs and typical controls exhibited similar levels of performance. However, when expression stimuli were shown with a mask, the DPs showed signs of subtle expression recognition deficits. The DPs were particularly prone to mislabeling masked expressions of happiness as emotion neutral. These results add to a growing body of evidence that under some conditions, DPs do exhibit subtle deficits of expression recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Tsantani
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK.
| | - Katie L H Gray
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Richard Cook
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK; Department of Psychology, University of York, UK
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40
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Gehdu BK, Gray KLH, Cook R. Impaired grouping of ambient facial images in autism. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6665. [PMID: 35461345 PMCID: PMC9035147 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10630-0] [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: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Ambient facial images depict individuals from a variety of viewing angles, with a range of poses and expressions, under different lighting conditions. Exposure to ambient images is thought to help observers form robust representations of the individuals depicted. Previous results suggest that autistic people may derive less benefit from exposure to this exemplar variation than non-autistic people. To date, however, it remains unclear why. One possibility is that autistic individuals possess atypical perceptual learning mechanisms. Alternatively, however, the learning mechanisms may be intact, but receive low-quality perceptual input from face encoding processes. To examine this second possibility, we investigated whether autistic people are less able to group ambient images of unfamiliar individuals based on their identity. Participants were asked to identify which of four ambient images depicted an oddball identity. Each trial assessed the grouping of different facial identities, thereby preventing face learning across trials. As such, the task assessed participants’ ability to group ambient images of unfamiliar people. In two experiments we found that matched non-autistic controls correctly identified the oddball identities more often than our autistic participants. These results imply that poor face learning from variation by autistic individuals may well be attributable to low-quality perceptual input, not aberrant learning mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bayparvah Kaur Gehdu
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - Katie L H Gray
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Richard Cook
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK. .,Department of Psychology, University of York, York, UK.
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41
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Pozo E, T Germine L, Scheuer L, Strong RW. Evaluating the Reliability and Validity of the Famous Faces Doppelgangers Test, a Novel Measure of Familiar Face Recognition. Assessment 2022; 30:1200-1210. [PMID: 35450435 DOI: 10.1177/10731911221087746] [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: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Face recognition assessments that use images of celebrities require not only face recognition ability but also pop-culture knowledge and successful recall of identifying information. Here, we introduce a task designed to measure face recognition more specifically: the Famous Faces Doppelgangers Test (FFDT). Participants (N = 57,407) identified 40 celebrities paired with lookalike doppelgangers, allowing face recognition ability to be assessed without requiring information recall. In addition, participants reported whether they were familiar with each celebrity, allowing poor face recognition ability to be differentiated from low pop-culture knowledge. FFDT performance was reliable (rxx = .80), similar across participants of different racial and ethnic groups, and more highly correlated with memory for faces (r = .50) and self-reported face recognition ability (r = .48) than processing speed ability (r = .10). Thus, the FFDT is a reliable, valid, and specific measure of the ability to identify familiar faces, making it a promising new tool for assessing face recognition ability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura T Germine
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Roger W Strong
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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42
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Mannix T, Sørensen TA. Face-Processing Differences Present in Grapheme-Color Synesthetes. Cogn Sci 2022; 46:e13130. [PMID: 35411960 PMCID: PMC9286625 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.13130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Grapheme‐color synesthesia is a heterogeneous neurological phenomenon whereby the experience of a grapheme automatically and involuntarily elicits an experience of color. While the majority of synesthesia research has focused on inducer‐specific influences of synesthetic associations, more recent efforts have examined potential broader differences. Based on spontaneous reports from synesthetes detailing problems with face recognition, in conjunction with the geographical proximity of neurological regions relevant to both synesthesia and face processing, we sought to examine whether synesthetes demonstrated atypical face‐processing abilities. A total of 16 grapheme‐color synesthetes and 16 age‐and‐gender matched controls (±3 years) completed the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT; Duchaine & Nakayama, 2006) of face memory, the Vanderbilt Holistic Face Processing Task (VHPT‐F; Richler, Floyd, & Gauthier, 2014) of holistic face processing, as well as a standardized self‐report questionnaire the Faces and Emotions Questionnaire (Freeman, Palermo, & Brock, 2015). The results revealed significantly poorer performance in synesthete's ability to recognize faces in the CFMT that was driven by a reduction in upright advantage. Results also revealed a significant reduction in overall accuracy on the VHPT‐F for synesthetes, who despite this displayed a comparable holistic processing advantage compared to matched controls. Finally, synesthetes also rated themselves as significantly worse at face recognition. We suggest that this pattern may reflect differences in the development of individualized perceptual strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thea Mannix
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Aalborg University
| | - Thomas Alrik Sørensen
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Aalborg University.,Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research
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Lammers NA, Van den Berg NS, Lugtmeijer S, Smits AR, Pinto Y, de Haan EHF. Mid-range visual deficits after stroke: Prevalence and co-occurrence. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262886. [PMID: 35363793 PMCID: PMC8975013 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual deficits are common after stroke and are powerful predictors for the chronic functional outcome. However, while basic visual field and recognition deficits are relatively easy to assess with standardized methods, selective deficits in visual primitives, such as shape or motion, are harder to identify, as they often require a symmetrical bilateral posterior lesion in order to provoke full field deficits. Therefore, we do not know how often they occur. Nevertheless, they can have severe repercussions for daily-life functioning. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and co-occurrence of hemifield “mid-range” visual deficits (i.e. color, shape, location, orientation, correlated motion, contrast, texture and glossiness), using a novel experimental set-up with a gaze-contingent presentation of the stimuli. To this end, a prospective cohort of 220 ischemic (sub)cortical stroke patients and a healthy control group was assessed with this set-up. When comparing performance of patients with controls, the results showed that deficits in motion-perception were most prevalent (26%), followed by color (22%), texture (22%), location (21%), orientation (18%), contrast (14%), shape (14%) and glossiness (13%). 63% of the stroke patients showed one or more mid-range visual deficits. Overlap of deficits was small; they mostly occurred in isolation or co-occurred with only one or two other deficits. To conclude, it was found that deficits in “mid-range” visual functions were very prevalent. These deficits are likely to affect the chronic post-stroke condition. Since we found no strong patterns of co-occurrences, we suggest that an assessment of deficits at this level of visual processing requires screening the full range of visual functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikki A. Lammers
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Nils S. Van den Berg
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Selma Lugtmeijer
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Anouk R. Smits
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Yair Pinto
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Edward H. F. de Haan
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- St.Hugh’s College, Oxford, United Kindom
- * E-mail:
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Recognition Of Pareidolic Objects In Developmental Prosopagnosic And Neurotypical Individuals. Cortex 2022; 153:21-31. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Carbon CC, Held MJ, Schütz A. Reading Emotions in Faces With and Without Masks Is Relatively Independent of Extended Exposure and Individual Difference Variables. Front Psychol 2022; 13:856971. [PMID: 35369259 PMCID: PMC8967961 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.856971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to read emotions in faces helps humans efficiently assess social situations. We tested how this ability is affected by aspects of familiarization with face masks and personality, with a focus on emotional intelligence (measured with an ability test, the MSCEIT, and a self-report scale, the SREIS). To address aspects of the current pandemic situation, we used photos of not only faces per se but also of faces that were partially covered with face masks. The sample (N = 49), the size of which was determined by an a priori power test, was recruited in Germany and consisted of healthy individuals of different ages [M = 24.8 (18-64) years]. Participants assessed the emotional expressions displayed by six different faces determined by a 2 (sex) × 3 (age group: young, medium, and old) design. Each person was presented with six different emotional displays (angry, disgusted, fearful, happy, neutral, and sad) with or without a face mask. Accuracy and confidence were lower with masks-in particular for the emotion disgust (very often misinterpreted as anger) but also for happiness, anger, and sadness. When comparing the present data collected in July 2021 with data from a different sample collected in May 2020, when people first started to familiarize themselves with face masks in Western countries during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, we did not detect an improvement in performance. There were no effects of participants' emotional intelligence, sex, or age regarding their accuracy in assessing emotional states in faces for unmasked or masked faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claus-Christian Carbon
- Department of Psychology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany
- Bamberg Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences (BaGrACS), Bamberg, Germany
| | - Marco Jürgen Held
- Department of Psychology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany
- Bamberg Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences (BaGrACS), Bamberg, Germany
| | - Astrid Schütz
- Department of Psychology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany
- Bamberg Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences (BaGrACS), Bamberg, Germany
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Lateralization of word and face processing in developmental dyslexia and developmental prosopagnosia. Neuropsychologia 2022; 170:108208. [PMID: 35278463 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In right-handed adults, face processing is lateralized to the right hemisphere and visual word processing to the left hemisphere. According to the many-to-many account (MTMA) of functional cerebral organization this lateralization pattern is partly dependent on the acquisition of literacy. Hence, the MTMA predicts that: (i) processing of both words and faces should show no or at least less lateralization in individuals with developmental dyslexia compared with controls, and (ii) lateralization in word processing should be normal in individuals with developmental prosopagnosia whereas lateralization in face processing should be absent. To test these hypotheses, 21 right-handed adults with developmental dyslexia and 21 right-handed adults with developmental prosopagnosia performed a divided visual field paradigm with delayed matching of faces, words and cars. Contrary to the predictions, we find that lateralization effects in face processing are within the normal range for both developmental dyslexics and prosopagnosics. Moreover, the group with developmental dyslexia showed right hemisphere lateralization for word processing. We argue that these findings are incompatible with the specific predictions of the MTMA.
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Yang T, Zhang L, Xu G, Yang Z, Luo Y, Li Z, Zhong K, Shi B, Zhao L, Sun P. Investigating taste sensitivity, chemesthetic sensation and their relationship with emotion perception in Chinese young and older adults. Food Qual Prefer 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Face masks versus sunglasses: limited effects of time and individual differences in the ability to judge facial identity and social traits. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2022; 7:18. [PMID: 35171394 PMCID: PMC8850515 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-022-00371-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Some research indicates that face masks impair identification and other judgements such as trustworthiness. However, it is unclear whether those effects have abated over time as individuals adjust to widespread use of masks, or whether performance is related to individual differences in face recognition ability. This study examined the effect of masks and sunglasses on face matching and social judgements (trustworthiness, competence, attractiveness). In Experiment 1, 135 participants across three different time points (June 2020–July 2021) viewed unedited faces and faces with masks, sunglasses, or both. Both masks and sunglasses similarly decreased matching performance. The effect of masks on social judgements varied depending on the judgement and whether the face was depicted with sunglasses. There was no effect of timepoint on any measure, suggesting that the effects of masks have not diminished. In Experiment 2, 12 individuals with developmental prosopagnosia (DP) and 10 super-recognisers (SRs) completed the same tasks. The effect of masks on identity matching was reduced in SRs, whereas the effects of masks and sunglasses for the DP group did not differ from controls. These findings indicate that face masks significantly affect face perception, depending on the availability of other facial information, and are not modified by exposure.
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Is It Just Face Blindness? Exploring Developmental Comorbidity in Individuals with Self-Reported Developmental Prosopagnosia. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12020230. [PMID: 35203993 PMCID: PMC8870183 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12020230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental prosopagnosia (DP)—or ‘face blindness’—refers to life-long problems with facial recognition in the absence of brain injury. We know that neurodevelopmental disorders tend to co-occur, and this study aims to explore if individuals with self-reported DP also report indications of other neurodevelopmental disorders, deficits, or conditions (developmental comorbidity). In total, 115 individuals with self-reported DP participated in this online cross-sectional survey. Face recognition impairment was measured with a validated self-report instrument. Indications of difficulties with navigation, math, reading, or spelling were measured with a tailored questionnaire using items from published sources. Additional diagnoses were measured with direct questions. We also included open-ended questions about cognitive strengths and difficulties. Results: Overall, 57% reported at minimum one developmental comorbidity of interest, with most reflecting specific cognitive impairment (e.g., in memory or object recognition) rather than diagnostic categories (e.g., ADHD, dyslexia). Interestingly, many participants reported cognitive skills or strengths within the same domains that others reported impairment, indicating a diverse pattern of cognitive strengths and difficulties in this sample. The frequency and diversity of self-reported developmental comorbidity suggests that face recognition could be important to consider in future investigations of neurodevelopmental comorbidity patterns.
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Gerlach C, Starrfelt R. Face processing does not predict reading ability in developmental prosopagnosia: A commentary on. Cortex 2022; 154:421-426. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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