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Ficco L, Li C, Kaufmann JM, Schweinberger SR, Kovács GZ. Investigating the neural effects of typicality and predictability for face and object stimuli. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0293781. [PMID: 38776350 PMCID: PMC11111078 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The brain calibrates itself based on the past stimulus diet, which makes frequently observed stimuli appear as typical (as opposed to uncommon stimuli, which appear as distinctive). Based on predictive processing theory, the brain should be more "prepared" for typical exemplars, because these contain information that has been encountered frequently, allowing it to economically represent items of that category. Thus, one could ask whether predictability and typicality of visual stimuli interact, or rather act in an additive manner. We adapted the design by Egner and colleagues (2010), who used cues to induce expectations about stimulus category (face vs. chair) occurrence during an orthogonal inversion detection task. We measured BOLD responses with fMRI in 35 participants. First, distinctive stimuli always elicited stronger responses than typical ones in all ROIs, and our whole-brain directional contrasts for the effects of typicality and distinctiveness converge with previous findings. Second and importantly, we could not replicate the interaction between category and predictability reported by Egner et al. (2010), which casts doubt on whether cueing designs are ideal to elicit reliable predictability effects. Third, likely as a consequence of the lack of predictability effects, we found no interaction between predictability and typicality in any of the four tested regions (bilateral fusiform face areas, lateral occipital complexes) when considering both categories, nor in the whole brain. We discuss the issue of replicability in neuroscience and sketch an agenda for how future studies might address the same question.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Ficco
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
- Department of Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
- International Max-Planck Research School for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Chenglin Li
- Department of Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Jürgen M. Kaufmann
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Stefan R. Schweinberger
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
- International Max-Planck Research School for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Gyula Z. Kovács
- Department of Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
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2
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Schroeger A, Ficco L, Wuttke SJ, Kaufmann JM, Schweinberger SR. Differences between high and low performers in face recognition in electrophysiological correlates of face familiarity and distance-to-norm. Biol Psychol 2023; 182:108654. [PMID: 37549807 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Valentine's influential norm-based multidimensional face-space model (nMDFS) predicts that perceived distinctiveness of a face increases with its distance to the norm. Occipito-temporal event-related potentials (ERPs) have been recently shown to respond selectively to variations in distance-to-norm (P200) or familiarity (N250, late negativity), respectively (Wuttke & Schweinberger, 2019). Despite growing evidence on interindividual differences in face perception skills at the behavioral level, little research has focused on their electrophysiological correlates. To reveal potential interindividual differences in face spaces, we contrasted high and low performers in face recognition in regards to distance-to-norm (P200) and familiarity (N250). We replicated both the P200 distance-to-norm and the N250 familiarity effect. Importantly, we observed: i) reduced responses in low compared to high performers of face recognition, especially in terms of smaller distance-to-norm effects in the P200, possibly indicating less 'expanded' face spaces in low compared to high performers; ii) increased N250 responses to familiar original faces in high performers, suggesting more robust face identity representations. In summary, these findings suggest the contribution of both early norm-based face coding and robust face representations to individual face recognition skills, and indicate that ERPs can offer a promising route to understand individual differences in face perception and their neurocognitive correlates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Schroeger
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany; Department for the Psychology of Human Movement and Sport, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany; Department of Experimental Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany.
| | - Linda Ficco
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany; International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for the Science of Human History, Max-Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany.
| | - Stella J Wuttke
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany; Infinite Potential Institute, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Jürgen M Kaufmann
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Stefan R Schweinberger
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany; International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for the Science of Human History, Max-Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Site Jena-Magdeburg-Halle, Germany
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3
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Schneider TM, Carbon CC. The Episodic Prototypes Model (EPM): On the nature and genesis of facial representations. Iperception 2021; 12:20416695211054105. [PMID: 34876971 PMCID: PMC8645314 DOI: 10.1177/20416695211054105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Faces undergo massive changes over time and life events. We need a mental representation
which is flexible enough to cope with the existing visual varieties, but which is also
stable enough to be the basis for valid recognition. Two main theoretical frameworks exist
to describe facial representations: prototype models assuming one central item comprising
all visual experiences of a face, and exemplar models assuming single representations of
each visual experience of a face. We introduce a much more ecological valid model dealing
with episodic prototypes (the Episodic Prototypes Model—EPM), where faces are represented
by a low number of prototypes that refer to specific Episodes of Life (EoL, e.g., early
adulthood, mature age) during which the facial appearance shows only moderate variation.
Such an episodic view of mental representation allows for efficient storage, as the number
of needed prototypes is relatively low, and it allows for the needed variation within a
prototype that keeps the everyday and steadily ongoing changes across a certain period of
time. Studies 1–3 provide evidence that facial representations are highly dependent on
temporal aspects which is in accord with EoL, and that individual learning history
generates the structure and content of respective prototypes. In Study 4, we used implicit
measures (RT) in a face verification task to investigate the postulated power of the EPM.
We could demonstrate that episodic prototypes clearly outperformed visual depictions of
exhaustive prototypes, supporting the general idea of our approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Matthias Schneider
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany.,Research Group EPÆG (Ergonomics, Psychological Æsthetics, Gestalt), Bamberg, Germany.,Bamberg Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences (BaGrACS), Bamberg, Germany
| | - Claus-Christian Carbon
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany.,Research Group EPÆG (Ergonomics, Psychological Æsthetics, Gestalt), Bamberg, Germany.,Bamberg Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences (BaGrACS), Bamberg, Germany
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4
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White D, Wayne T, Varela VPL. Partitioning natural face image variability emphasises within-identity over between-identity representation for understanding accurate recognition. Cognition 2021; 219:104966. [PMID: 34861575 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Accurately recognising faces enables social interactions. In recent years it has become clear that people's accuracy differs markedly depending on viewer's familiarity with a face and their individual skill, but the cognitive and neural bases of these accuracy differences are not understood. We examined cognitive representations underlying these accuracy differences by measuring similarity ratings to natural facial image variation. Natural variation was sampled from uncontrolled images on the internet to reflect the appearance of faces as they are encountered in daily life. Using image averaging, and inspired by the computation of Analysis of Variance, we partitioned this variation into differences between faces (between-identity variation) and differences between photos of the same face (within-identity variation). This allowed us to compare modulation of these two sources of variation attributable to: (i) a person's familiarity with a face and, (ii) their face recognition ability. Contrary to prevailing accounts of human face recognition and perceptual learning, we found that modulation of within-identity variation - rather than between-identity variation - was associated with high accuracy. First, familiarity modulated similarity ratings to within-identity variation more than to between-face variation. Second, viewers that are extremely accurate in face recognition - 'super-recognisers' - differed from typical perceivers mostly in their ratings of within-identity variation, compared to between-identity variation. In a final computational analysis, we found evidence that transformations of between- and within-identity variation make separable contributions to perceptual expertise in face recognition. We conclude that inter- and intra-individual accuracy differences primarily arise from differences in the representation of within-identity image variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David White
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, Australia.
| | - Tanya Wayne
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, Australia
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5
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Zheng R, Ren D, Xie C, Pan J, Zhou G. Normality mediates the effect of symmetry on facial attractiveness. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2021; 217:103311. [PMID: 33933836 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2021.103311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although symmetry, averageness, and sexual dimorphism are usually considered important to facial attractiveness, there are mixed findings regarding whether and how symmetry influences facial attractiveness. The present study introduced "facial normality" to explain the inconsistency of previous research. We hypothesized that symmetry only increased facial attractiveness when it improved facial normality. We manipulated symmetry and normality simultaneously on sixteen Chinese male faces and asked participants to rate the perceived symmetry, perceived normality, and facial attractiveness. The results demonstrated an interactive effect of symmetry and normality on facial attractiveness. The structural equation model results showed two paths from symmetry to facial attractiveness: (1) Symmetry reduced facial attractiveness by decreasing perceived normality; (2) Symmetry increased facial attractiveness by increasing the perceived symmetry and then improving perceived normality. In other words, perceived normality acted as a mediator between symmetry and facial attractiveness. The present study provides a solution to the different effects of symmetry on facial attractiveness in previous studies and suggests that future studies on symmetry and facial attractiveness should consider the mediating role of normality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruoying Zheng
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dongyan Ren
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chunyan Xie
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junhao Pan
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guomei Zhou
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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6
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Abstract
Recognition of familiar as compared to unfamiliar faces is robust and resistant to marked image distortion or degradation. Here we tested the flexibility of familiar face recognition with a morphing paradigm where the appearance of a personally familiar face was mixed with the appearance of a stranger (Experiment 1) and the appearance of one's own face with the appearance of a familiar face and the appearance of a stranger (Experiment 2). The aim of the two experiments was to assess how categorical boundaries for recognition of identity are affected by familiarity. We found a narrower categorical boundary for the identity of personally familiar faces when they were mixed with unfamiliar identities as compared to the control condition, in which the appearance of two unfamiliar faces was mixed. Our results suggest that familiarity warps the representational geometry of face space, amplifying perceptual distances for small changes in the appearance of familiar faces that are inconsistent with the structural features that define their identities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vassiki Chauhan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Ilona Kotlewska
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.,Department of Cognitive Science, Faculty of Humanities, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland
| | - Sunny Tang
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - M Ida Gobbini
- Dipartimento di Medicina Specialistica, Diagnostica e Sperimentale (DIMES), Medical School, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.,Cognitive Science Program, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
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7
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Estudillo AJ, Kaufmann JM, Bindemann M, Schweinberger SR. Multisensory stimulation modulates perceptual and post perceptual face representations: Evidence from event-related potentials. Eur J Neurosci 2019; 48:2259-2271. [PMID: 30107052 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2016] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Seeing a face being touched in spatial and temporal synchrony with the own face produces a bias in self-recognition, whereby the other face becomes more likely to be perceived as the self. The present study employed event-related potentials to explore whether this enfacement effect reflects initial face encoding, enhanced distinctiveness of the enfaced face, modified self-identity representations, or even later processing stages that are associated with the emotional processing of faces. Participants were stroked in synchrony or asynchrony with an unfamiliar face they observed on a monitor in front of them, in a situation approximating a mirror image. Subsequently, event-related potentials were recorded during the presentation of (a) a previously synchronously stimulated face, (b) an asynchronously stimulated face, (c) observers' own face, (d) filler faces, and (e) a to-be-detected target face, which required a response. Observers reported a consistent enfacement illusion after synchronous stimulation. Importantly, the synchronously stimulated face elicited more prominent N170 and P200 responses than the asynchronously stimulated face. By contrast, similar N250 and P300 responses were observed in these conditions. These results suggest that enfacement modulates early neural correlates of face encoding and facial prototypicality, rather than identity self-representations and associated emotional processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro J Estudillo
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Semenyih, Malaysia.,School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.,Department of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Jürgen M Kaufmann
- Department of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Jena, Germany.,DFG Research Unit Person Perception, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Jena, Germany
| | | | - Stefan R Schweinberger
- Department of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Jena, Germany.,DFG Research Unit Person Perception, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Jena, Germany.,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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8
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Jun J, Tan DH, Remington RW, Jiang YV. Memory across a short-delay: Systematic biases in memory for faces. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2019; 195:39-49. [PMID: 30878000 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2019.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
From geometric figures to human faces, many visual stimuli vary along a continuum in featural space, anchored at one end by a highly distinctive constellation of features, at the other by a neutral set. Here we used a continuum of morphed faces to test whether errors in visual short-term memory are symmetric in feature space around the target or systematically biased toward one or the other end of the continuum. Participants were shown a face for 1 s. After a brief delay, participants were asked to choose the face they had been shown among three face options, which consisted of the target face, one face that was slightly more distinctive, and one face that was slightly more neutral. Continuums of morphed faces ranged from an average, neutral face to different distinctive celebrity faces two experiments, or from neutral facial expressions to highly emotional expressions a third experiment. Results showed that when participants made an incorrect response, they were more likely to incorrectly identify the more distinctive face than the more neutral or average face as the target face. This bias toward more extreme faces, however, was not observed for unfamiliar (non-celebrity) faces that were emotionally neutral. These findings suggest that visual memory encodes distinctive features of stimuli that lead to biases in later recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihyang Jun
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America.
| | - Deborah H Tan
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America.
| | - Roger W Remington
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Yuhong V Jiang
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America
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9
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Sadr J, Krowicki L. Face perception loves a challenge: Less information sparks more attraction. Vision Res 2019; 157:61-83. [DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2019.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Revised: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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10
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Gwinn OS, Matera CN, O'Neil SF, Webster MA. Asymmetric neural responses for facial expressions and anti-expressions. Neuropsychologia 2018; 119:405-416. [PMID: 30193846 PMCID: PMC6191349 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2018] [Revised: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Face recognition requires identifying both the invariant characteristics that distinguish one individual from another and the variations within the individual that correspond to emotional expressions. Both have been postulated to be represented via a norm-based code, in which identity or expression are represented as deviations from an average or neutral prototype. We used Fast Periodic Visual Stimulation (FPVS) with electroencephalography (EEG) to compare neural responses for neutral faces, expressions and anti-expressions. Anti-expressions are created by projecting an expression (e.g. a happy face) through the neutral face to form the opposite facial shape (anti-happy). Thus expressions and anti-expressions differ from the norm by the same "configural" amount and thus have equivalent but opposite status with regard to their shape, but differ in their ecological validity. We examined whether neural responses to these complementary stimulus pairs were equivalent or asymmetric, and also tested for norm-based coding by comparing whether stronger responses are elicited by expressions and anti-expressions than neutral faces. Observers viewed 20 s sequences of 6 Hz alternations of neutral faces and expressions, neutral faces and anti-expressions, and expressions and anti-expressions. Responses were analyzed in the frequency domain. Significant responses at half the frequency of the presentation rate (3 Hz), indicating asymmetries in responses, were observed for all conditions. Inversion of the images reduced the size of this signal, indicating these asymmetries are not solely due to differences in the low-level properties of the images. While our results do not preclude a norm-based code for expressions, similar to identity, this representation (as measured by the FPVS EEG responses) may also include components sensitive to which configural distortions form meaningful expressions.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Scott Gwinn
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N Virginia St, Reno, NV 89557, USA; School of Psychology, Flinders University, Sturt Rd, Bedford Park, Adelaide, South Australia 5042, Australia.
| | - Courtney N Matera
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N Virginia St, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Sean F O'Neil
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N Virginia St, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Michael A Webster
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N Virginia St, Reno, NV 89557, USA
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Sofer C, Dotsch R, Oikawa M, Oikawa H, Wigboldus DHJ, Todorov A. For Your Local Eyes Only: Culture-Specific Face Typicality Influences Perceptions of Trustworthiness. Perception 2017; 46:914-928. [PMID: 28152651 DOI: 10.1177/0301006617691786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Recent findings show that typical faces are judged as more trustworthy than atypical faces. However, it is not clear whether employment of typicality cues in trustworthiness judgment happens across cultures and if these cues are culture specific. In two studies, conducted in Japan and Israel, participants judged trustworthiness and attractiveness of faces. In Study 1, faces varied along a cross-cultural dimension ranging from a Japanese to an Israeli typical face. Own-culture typical faces were perceived as more trustworthy than other-culture typical faces, suggesting that people in both cultures employ typicality cues when judging trustworthiness, but that the cues, indicative of typicality, are culture dependent. Because perceivers may be less familiar with other-culture typicality cues, Study 2 tested the extent to which they rely on available facial information other than typicality, when judging other-culture faces. In Study 2, Japanese and Israeli faces varied from either Japanese or Israeli attractive to unattractive with the respective typical face at the midpoint. For own-culture faces, trustworthiness judgments peaked around own-culture typical face. However, when judging other-culture faces, both cultures also employed attractiveness cues, but this effect was more apparent for Japanese participants. Our findings highlight the importance of culture when considering the effect of typicality on trustworthiness judgments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmel Sofer
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Ron Dotsch
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
| | | | - Haruka Oikawa
- Department of Psychology, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
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12
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Robust representations of individual faces in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) but not monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Anim Cogn 2016; 20:321-329. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-016-1054-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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