Chinese Aesthetic Mask: Three Forehead and Five Eyes—Holistic Processing and Facial Attractiveness

Perception ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 030100662110155
Author(s):  
Jia Lin ◽  
Guomei Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Face Processing ◽  
Facial Attractiveness ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Holistic Processing ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Aesthetic Theory ◽  
Rating Task ◽  
Human Face ◽  
Configural Information ◽  
Forced Choice Task

Human face processing has been attributed to holistic processing. Here, we ask whether humans are sensitive to configural information when perceiving facial attractiveness. By referring to a traditional Chinese aesthetic theory—Three Forehead and Five Eyes—we generated a series of faces that differed in spacing between facial features. We adopted a two-alternative forced-choice task in Experiment 1 and a rating task in Experiment 2 to assess attractiveness. Both tasks showed a consistent result: The faces which fit the Chinese aesthetic theory were chosen or rated as most attractive. This effect of configural information on facial attractiveness was larger for faces with highly attractive features than for faces with low attractive features. These findings provide experimental evidence for the traditional Chinese aesthetic theory. This issue can be further explored from the perspective of culture in the future.

scholarly journals Biological Bases of Beauty Revisited: The Effect of Symmetry, Averageness, and Sexual Dimorphism on Female Facial Attractiveness

Symmetry ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex L. Jones ◽  
Bastian Jaeger
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Facial Attractiveness ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Human Female ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Skin Texture ◽  
Femininity And Masculinity ◽  
Forced Choice Task

The factors influencing human female facial attractiveness—symmetry, averageness, and sexual dimorphism—have been extensively studied. However, recent studies, using improved methodologies, have called into question their evolutionary utility and links with life history. The current studies use a range of approaches to quantify how important these factors actually are in perceiving attractiveness, through the use of novel statistical analyses and by addressing methodological weaknesses in the literature. Study One examines how manipulations of symmetry, averageness, femininity, and masculinity affect attractiveness using a two-alternative forced choice task, finding that increased masculinity and also femininity decrease attractiveness, compared to unmanipulated faces. Symmetry and averageness yielded a small and large effect, respectively. Study Two utilises a naturalistic ratings paradigm, finding similar effects of averageness and masculinity as Study One but no effects of symmetry and femininity on attractiveness. Study Three applies geometric face measurements of the factors and a random forest machine learning algorithm to predict perceived attractiveness, finding that shape averageness, dimorphism, and skin texture symmetry are useful features capable of relatively accurate predictions, while shape symmetry is uninformative. However, the factors do not explain as much variance in attractiveness as the literature suggests. The implications for future research on attractiveness are discussed.

scholarly journals The boundary of holistic processing in the appraisal of facial attractiveness

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 171616
Author(s):  
Chang Hong Liu ◽  
Wenfeng Chen
Keyword(s):  
Facial Attractiveness ◽  
Holistic Processing ◽  
Viewing Time ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Contextual Cues ◽  
The Face ◽  
Face Stimuli ◽  
Oval Shape

Facial attractiveness is often studied on the basis of the internal facial features alone. This study investigated how this exclusion of the external features affects the perception of attractiveness. We studied the effects of two most commonly used methods of exclusion, where the shape of an occluding mask was defined by either the facial outline or an oval. Participants rated attractiveness of the same faces under these conditions. Results showed that faces were consistently rated more attractive when they were masked by an oval shape rather than by their outline (Experiment 1). Attractive faces were more strongly affected by this effect than were less attractive faces when participants were able to control the viewing time. However, unattractive faces benefited more from this effect when the same face stimuli were presented briefly for only 20 ms (Experiment 2). Further manipulation confirmed that the effect was mainly due to the occlusion of a larger area of the external features rather than the regular and symmetrical features of the oval shape (Experiment 3) or lacks contextual cues about the face boundary (Experiment 4). The effect was only relative to masked faces, with no advantage over unmasked faces (Experiment 5), and is likely a result of the interaction between the shape of a mask and the internal features of the face. This holistic effect in the appraisal of facial attractiveness is striking, because the oval shape of the mask is not a part of the face but is the edge of an occluding object.

Evolutionary Psychology of Facial Attractiveness

2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 154-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard Fink ◽  
Ian Penton-Voak
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Psychology ◽  
Physical Attractiveness ◽  
Facial Attractiveness ◽  
Visual Signals ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Human Face ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Mate Quality ◽  
Considerable Controversy

The human face communicates an impressive number of visual signals. Although adults' ratings of facial attractiveness are consistent across studies, even cross-culturally, there has been considerable controversy surrounding attempts to identify the facial features that cause faces to be judged attractive or unattractive. Studies of physical attractiveness have attempted to identify the features that contribute to attractiveness by studying the relationships between attractiveness and (a) symmetry, (b) averageness, and (c) nonaverage sexually dimorphic features (hormone markers). Evolutionary psychology proposes that these characteristics all pertain to health, suggesting that humans have evolved to view certain features as attractive because they were displayed by healthy individuals. However, the question remains how single features that are considered attractive relate to each other, and if they form a single ornament that signals mate quality. Moreover, some researchers have recently explained attractiveness preferences in terms of individual differences that are predictable. This article briefly describes what is currently known from attractiveness research, reviews some recent advances, and suggests areas for future researchers' attention.

scholarly journals Face Adaptation Effects on Non-Configural Face Information

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-192
Author(s):  
Ronja Mueller ◽  
Sandra Utz ◽  
Claus-Christian Carbon ◽  
Tilo Strobach
Keyword(s):  
Face Processing ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Spatial Relations ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Configural Information ◽  
Facial Memory ◽  
Facial Information ◽  
Face Adaptation ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Adaptation Effects

Inspecting new visual information in a face can affect the perception of subsequently seen faces. In experimental settings for example, previously seen manipulated versions of a face can lead to a clear bias of the participant’s perception of subsequent images: Original images are then perceived as manipulated in the opposite direction of the adaptor while images that are more similar to the adaptor are perceived as normal or natural. These so-called face adaptation effects can be a useful tool to provide information about which facial information is processed and stored in facial memory. Most experiments so far used variants of the second-order relationship configural information (e.g., spatial relations between facial features) when investigating these effects. However, non-configural face information (e.g., color) was mainly neglected when focusing on face adaptation, although this type of information plays an important role in face processing. Therefore, we investigated adaptation effects of non-configural face information by employing brightness alterations. Our results provide clear evidence for brightness adaptation effects (Experiment 1). These effects are face-specific to some extent (Experiments 2 and 3) and robust over time (Experiments 4 and 5). They support the assumption that non-configural face information is not only relevant in face perception but also in face retention. Brightness information seems to be stored in memory and thus is even involved in face recognition.

Computational Modeling of Face Recognition Based on Psychophysical Experiments

2004 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Schwaninger ◽  
Christian Wallraven ◽  
Heinrich H. Bülthoff
Keyword(s):  
Computer Vision ◽  
Face Recognition ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Face Processing ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Striking Similarity ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Configural Information ◽  
Psychophysical Studies

Recent results from psychophysical studies are discussed which clearly show that face processing is not only holistic. Humans do encode face parts (component information) in addition to information about the spatial interrelationship of facial features (global configural information). Based on these findings we propose a computational architecture of face recognition, which implements a component and configural route for encoding and recognizing faces. Modeling results showed a striking similarity between human psychophysical data and the computational model. In addition, we could show that our framework is able to achieve good recognition performance even under large view rotations. Thus, our study is an example of how an interdisciplinary approach can provide a deeper understanding of cognitive processes and lead to further insights in human psychophysics as well as computer vision.

scholarly journals Shape familiarity modulates preference for curvature in drawings of common-use objects

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11772
Author(s):  
Erick G. Chuquichambi ◽  
Letizia Palumbo ◽  
Carlos Rey ◽  
Enric Munar
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Salient Feature ◽  
Forced Choice ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Selection Task ◽  
Rating Task ◽  
Forced Choice Task ◽  
Approach Avoidance ◽  
Liking Rating

Drawing is a way to represent common-use objects. The contour of an object is a salient feature that defines its identity. Preference for a contour (curved or angular) may depend on how familiar the resulting shape looks for that given object. In this research, we examined the influence of shape familiarity on preference for curved or sharp-angled drawings of common-use objects. We also examined the possibility that some individual differences modulated this preference. Preference for curvature was assessed with a liking rating task (Experiment 1) and with a two-alternative forced-choice task simulating approach/avoidance responses (Experiment 2). Shape familiarity was assessed with a familiarity selection task where participants selected the most familiar shape between the curved and the angular version for each object, or whether both shapes were equally familiar for the object. We found a consistent preference for curvature in both experiments. This preference increased when the objects with a curved shape were selected as the most familiar ones. We also found preference for curvature when participants selected the shape of objects as equally familiar. However, there was no preference for curvature or preference for angularity when participants selected the sharp-angled shapes as the most familiar ones. In Experiment 2, holistic and affective types of intuition predicted higher preference for curvature. Conversely, participants with higher scores in the unconventionality facet showed less preference for the curved drawings. We conclude that shape familiarity and individual characteristics modulate preference for curvature.

scholarly journals Biological bases of beauty revisited: The effect of symmetry, averageness, and sexual dimorphism on female facial attractiveness

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Lee Jones ◽  
Bastian Jaeger
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Facial Attractiveness ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Human Female ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Femininity And Masculinity ◽  
Forced Choice Task ◽  
Methodological Approaches

The theoretical factors influencing human female facial attractiveness – symmetry, averageness,and sexual dimorphism – have been extensively studied. However, through improved methodologies, recent studies have called into question their links with life history and evolutionary utility. The current study uses a range of statistical and methodological approaches to quantify how important these factors actually are in perceiving attractiveness, through the use of novel analyses and by addressing methodological weaknesses inherent in the literature. Study One examines how manipulations of symmetry, averageness, femininity, and masculinity affect attractiveness using a two-alternative forced choice task, revealing that increased masculinity is unattractive, but increased femininity is not, and large effects observed for averageness. Study Two utilises a naturalistic ratings paradigm, finding similar effects of averageness and masculinity, but no effects of femininity and symmetry on attractiveness. Study Three applies a random forest machine learning algorithm and geometric measurements of the factors from faces to predict perceived attractiveness, finding that averageness and dimorphism are useful features capable of relatively accurate predictions. However, the factors do not explain as much variance in attractiveness as the wider literature suggests. Implications for future research on attractiveness are discussed.

Assessing the Link Between Perception and Production in Cantonese Tone Acquisition

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1243-1257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy Pik Ki Mok ◽  
Holly Sze Ho Fung ◽  
Vivian Guo Li
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
General Principle ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Tone Pair ◽  
Tone Production ◽  
Monosyllabic Words ◽  
Early Production ◽  
Forced Choice Task ◽  
Production Accuracy

Purpose Previous studies showed early production precedes late perception in Cantonese tone acquisition, contrary to the general principle that perception precedes production in child language. How tone production and perception are linked in 1st language acquisition remains largely unknown. Our study revisited the acquisition of tone in Cantonese-speaking children, exploring the possible link between production and perception in 1st language acquisition. Method One hundred eleven Cantonese-speaking children aged between 2;0 and 6;0 (years;months) and 10 adolescent reference speakers participated in tone production and perception experiments. Production materials with 30 monosyllabic words were transcribed in filtered and unfiltered conditions by 2 native judges. Perception accuracy was based on a 2-alternative forced-choice task with pictures covering all possible tone pair contrasts. Results Children's accuracy of production and perception of all the 6 Cantonese tones was still not adultlike by age 6;0. Both production and perception accuracies matured with age. A weak positive link was found between the 2 accuracies. Mother's native language contributed to children's production accuracy. Conclusions Our findings show that production and perception abilities are associated in tone acquisition. Further study is needed to explore factors affecting production accuracy in children. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.7960826

Face Inversion Effect Emerges Under Critical Configural Discrepancy

2010 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jisien Yang ◽  
Adrian Schwaninger
Keyword(s):  
Face Recognition ◽  
Face Processing ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Inversion Effect ◽  
Configural Processing ◽  
Major Contributor ◽  
Face Inversion Effect ◽  
Configural Information ◽  
Face Inversion ◽  
The Face

Configural processing has been considered the major contributor to the face inversion effect (FIE) in face recognition. However, most researchers have only obtained the FIE with one specific ratio of configural alteration. It remains unclear whether the ratio of configural alteration itself can mediate the occurrence of the FIE. We aimed to clarify this issue by manipulating the configural information parametrically using six different ratios, ranging from 4% to 24%. Participants were asked to judge whether a pair of faces were entirely identical or different. The paired faces that were to be compared were presented either simultaneously (Experiment 1) or sequentially (Experiment 2). Both experiments revealed that the FIE was observed only when the ratio of configural alteration was in the intermediate range. These results indicate that even though the FIE has been frequently adopted as an index to examine the underlying mechanism of face processing, the emergence of the FIE is not robust with any configural alteration but dependent on the ratio of configural alteration.

Habit learning in a forced-choice task

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Dressel ◽  
Teena D. Moody ◽  
Barbara J. Knowlton
Keyword(s):  
Forced Choice ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Habit Learning ◽  
Forced Choice Task
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