Decomposing the composite face effect: Evidence for non-holistic processing based on the ex-Gaussian distribution

Composite faces fuse the top and bottom halves from two different faces to create a powerful illusion of a novel face. It has been argued that composite faces are processed holistically, namely that the constituent face parts are perceived as a template, rather than independent features. This study sought to uncover the locus of the composite face effect by relating its empirical reaction time distributions to theoretical ex-Gaussian parameters. The results showed that the composite face effect for unfamiliar (Experiment 1) and familiar (Experiment 2) faces is generated by pure changes in the exponential component of the ex-Gaussian distribution. This held true for both partial and complete design measures. The exponential component has been attributed to working memory and attentional processes. The results suggest the involvement of attentional and working memory processes in the composite face effect and in the perception of faces in general. They cast doubts on the holistic nature of face processing. The results also provide important constraints on future computational theories of the effect.

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There's a Time and a Face: The Time Course of Composite Face Processing

10.31234/osf.io/z4ydx ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Carmen Lynch ◽

Xue Jun Cheng ◽

Daniel R. Little

Keyword(s):

Face Processing ◽

Processing Time ◽

Time Course ◽

Holistic Processing ◽

Response Signal ◽

The Face ◽

Task Recognition ◽

Speed Accuracy ◽

Composite Face ◽

Face Task

Faces are considered a special class of holistically-processed object. The composite face task is a widely-used tool to infer holistic processing. In this task, recognition of one half of a composite face is shown to be hampered by interference from the other half of the face. Although this effect has been documented numerous times, when used in different paradigms, composite faces do not always exhibit effects consistent with holistic processing. The present study explored the cause of these discrepant findings by combining a composite face task with a signal-to-respond paradigm. The amount of time to make a face recognition decision was manipulated by introducing a response signal, and the resulting changes in accuracy were mapped over the time course of processing, which was then used to fit a speed-accuracy trade-off model. We found that holistic processing emerges late in the time course (after approximately 600 ms processing time). Additionally, we found that only easy-to-detect changes elicited holistic processing.

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The Effects of Working Memory Resource Availability on Prospective Memory

Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) ◽

10.1027/1618-3169.52.4.243 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 52 (4) ◽

pp. 243-256 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

Rebekah E. Smith ◽

Ute J. Bayen

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Prospective Memory ◽

Resource Availability ◽

Memory Span ◽

Formal Model ◽

Retrospective Memory ◽

Attentional Processes ◽

Memory Processes ◽

Multinomial Modeling ◽

Memory Resource

Abstract. The PAM theory of event-based prospective memory ( Smith, 2003 ; Smith & Bayen, 2004a ) proposes that successful prospective memory performance demands upon the interaction of preparatory attentional processes and retrospective memory processes. The two experiments in the current study represent the first application of a formal model to investigate the sensitivity of these underlying processes to variations in working memory resource availability. Multinomial modeling of data from prospective-memory tasks showed that working memory span influenced preparatory attentional processes and retrospective-memory processes.

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Skipping Breakfast Affects the Early Steps of Cognitive Processing

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000214 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 109-118

Author(s):

Andrés Antonio González-Garrido ◽

Jacobo José Brofman-Epelbaum ◽

Fabiola Reveca Gómez-Velázquez ◽

Sebastián Agustín Balart-Sánchez ◽

Julieta Ramos-Loyo

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Processing ◽

Task Difficulty ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Reaction Times ◽

Brain Potentials ◽

Brain Functioning ◽

Attentional Processes ◽

Electrical Brain Activity ◽

Skipping Breakfast

Abstract. It has been generally accepted that skipping breakfast adversely affects cognition, mainly disturbing the attentional processes. However, the effects of short-term fasting upon brain functioning are still unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effect of skipping breakfast on cognitive processing by studying the electrical brain activity of young healthy individuals while performing several working memory tasks. Accordingly, the behavioral results and event-related brain potentials (ERPs) of 20 healthy university students (10 males) were obtained and compared through analysis of variances (ANOVAs), during the performance of three n-back working memory (WM) tasks in two morning sessions on both normal (after breakfast) and 12-hour fasting conditions. Significantly fewer correct responses were achieved during fasting, mainly affecting the higher WM load task. In addition, there were prolonged reaction times with increased task difficulty, regardless of breakfast intake. ERP showed a significant voltage decrement for N200 and P300 during fasting, while the amplitude of P200 notably increased. The results suggest skipping breakfast disturbs earlier cognitive processing steps, particularly attention allocation, early decoding in working memory, and stimulus evaluation, and this effect increases with task difficulty.

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Working memory and offline memory processes

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e520592012-375 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Neil B. Albert ◽

Sian L. Beilock ◽

Kimberly M. Fenn

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Memory Processes

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The effects of aging on the working memory processes of multimodal information

Aging Neuropsychology and Cognition ◽

10.1080/13825585.2016.1207749 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 299-320 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Elena Solesio-Jofre ◽

José María López-Frutos ◽

Nathan Cashdollar ◽

Sara Aurtenetxe ◽

Ignacio de Ramón ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Memory Processes ◽

Multimodal Information ◽

Effects Of Aging

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Sex differences in attentional processes in adult rats as measured by performance on the 5-choice serial reaction time task

Behavioural Brain Research ◽

10.1016/j.bbr.2012.07.028 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 235 (1) ◽

pp. 48-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Daniel W. Bayless ◽

Jeff S. Darling ◽

Willy J. Stout ◽

Jill M. Daniel

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Reaction Time ◽

Reaction Time Task ◽

Serial Reaction Time Task ◽

Serial Reaction Time ◽

Adult Rats ◽

Attentional Processes ◽

Time Task ◽

Serial Reaction

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Does the d2 Test of Attention only assess sustained attention? Evidence of working memory processes involved

Applied Neuropsychology Adult ◽

10.1080/23279095.2021.2023152 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Leandro da Silva-Sauer ◽

Ricardo Basso Garcia ◽

Alan Ehrich de Moura ◽

Bernardino Fernández-Calvo

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Sustained Attention ◽

Memory Processes

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Inattentive Behavior in Boys with ADHD during Classroom Instruction: the Mediating Role of Working Memory Processes

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology ◽

10.1007/s10802-017-0338-x ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 46 (4) ◽

pp. 713-727 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Sarah A. Orban ◽

Mark D. Rapport ◽

Lauren M. Friedman ◽

Samuel J. Eckrich ◽

Michael J. Kofler

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Classroom Instruction ◽

Memory Processes ◽

Mediating Role

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Hot and cold cognitive disturbances in antidepressant-free patients with major depressive disorder: a NeuroPharm study

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291720000938 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

V. H. Dam ◽

D. S. Stenbæk ◽

K. Köhler-Forsberg ◽

C. Ip ◽

B. Ozenne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Major Depressive Disorder ◽

Reaction Time ◽

Depressive Disorder ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Cognitive Profiles ◽

Depression Severity ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Depressed Patients ◽

Cognitive Disturbances

Abstract Background Cognitive disturbances are common and disabling features of major depressive disorder (MDD). Previous studies provide limited insight into the co-occurrence of hot (emotion-dependent) and cold (emotion-independent) cognitive disturbances in MDD. Therefore, we here map both hot and cold cognition in depressed patients compared to healthy individuals. Methods We collected neuropsychological data from 92 antidepressant-free MDD patients and 103 healthy controls. All participants completed a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery assessing hot cognition including emotion processing, affective verbal memory and social cognition as well as cold cognition including verbal and working memory and reaction time. Results The depressed patients showed small to moderate negative affective biases on emotion processing outcomes, moderate increases in ratings of guilt and shame and moderate deficits in verbal and working memory as well as moderately slowed reaction time compared to healthy controls. We observed no correlations between individual cognitive tasks and depression severity in the depressed patients. Lastly, an exploratory cluster analysis suggested the presence of three cognitive profiles in MDD: one characterised predominantly by disturbed hot cognitive functions, one characterised predominantly by disturbed cold cognitive functions and one characterised by global impairment across all cognitive domains. Notably, the three cognitive profiles differed in depression severity. Conclusion We identified a pattern of small to moderate disturbances in both hot and cold cognition in MDD. While none of the individual cognitive outcomes mapped onto depression severity, cognitive profile clusters did. Overall cognition-based stratification tools may be useful in precision medicine approaches to MDD.

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