Investigating the Time Course of Part-Based and Holistic Processing in Face Perception

Inverting the eyes and the mouth in a smiling face renders the expression grotesque. However, when this image is itself rotated through 180 degrees, the grotesque expression is no longer apparent—the smiling expression returns. This illusion, first shown with the face of the then UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher, has been explained as showing the detrimental effects of inversion on configural or holistic processing of faces. This explanation is, however, not entirely satisfactory and the illusion is still not fully understood. Variants and relevant parameters of the effect are explored, as are related concepts of inversion, expression, and face perception.

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Holistic processing and reliance on global viewing strategies in older adults' face perception

Acta Psychologica ◽

10.1016/j.actpsy.2014.06.001 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 151 ◽

pp. 155-163 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Bozana Meinhardt-Injac ◽

Malte Persike ◽

Günter Meinhardt

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Face Perception ◽

Holistic Processing

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Holistic processing as measured in the composite task does not always go with right hemisphere processing in face perception

Neurocomputing ◽

10.1016/j.neucom.2015.12.018 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 182 ◽

pp. 165-177 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Janet H. Hsiao ◽

Bruno Galmar

Keyword(s):

Face Perception ◽

Right Hemisphere ◽

Holistic Processing

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Influence of Perceptual Discriminability and Spatial Distance on Holistic Processing of Faces

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.669206 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Chao-Chih Wang ◽

Gary C.-W. Shyi ◽

Peter Kuan-Hao Cheng

Keyword(s):

Face Recognition ◽

Face Perception ◽

Spatial Perception ◽

Holistic Processing ◽

Spatial Distance ◽

Perceptual Discrimination ◽

The Face ◽

Underlying Mechanisms ◽

Composite Face ◽

Face Task

Background: Holistic processing is defined as the perceptual integration of facial features, and plays an important role in face recognition. While researchers recognize the crucial role played by holistic processing in face perception, a complete delineation of the underlying mechanisms is impending. Very few studies have examined the effects of perceptual discrimination and spatial perception on holistic processing. Hence, the present study aimed to examine the influence of perceptual discrimination and spatial perception on face recognition.Methods: We conducted two experiments by manipulating the perceptual discriminability of the target (the top-half faces) and non-target face (the bottom-half faces) parts in the composite-face task and examined how perceptual discriminability may affect holistic processing of faces.Results: The results of Experiment 1 illustrated that holistic processing was modulated by the perceptual discriminability of the face. Furthermore, differential patterns of perceptual discriminability with the target and non-target parts suggested that different mechanisms may be responsible for the influence of target and non-target parts on face perception. The results of Experiment 2 illustrated that holistic processing was modulated by spatial distance between two faces, implicating that feature-by-feature strategy might decrease the magnitude of holistic processing.Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that holistic processing may lead to augmented perception effect exaggerating the differences between the two faces and may also be affected by the feature-by-feature strategy.

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Dissociation of early and late face-related processes in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Williams syndrome

10.1101/2021.04.07.438774 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Alice GOMEZ ◽

Guillaume Lio ◽

Manuela Costa ◽

Angela Sirigu ◽

Caroline Demily

Keyword(s):

Face Perception ◽

Williams Syndrome ◽

Time Course ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Evoked Response ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Facial Features ◽

Neuronal Marker ◽

The Face ◽

Socially Relevant

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Williams syndrome (WS) are characterized by atypical social interaction and face processing, with opposite profiles. Evoked activity in the superior temporal sulcus (STS) occurring at 260ms is an eyes-sensitive neuronal marker. Here, we tested whether a double dissociation between these two syndromes is also observed at the cerebral level within faces processing network. Forty-two participants divided into three groups (diagnosed with WS, ASD or without neurodevelopmental disorders) performed a face perception task during a high-density EEG recording. In each trial, a particular area of the face was flashed under the participants fovea. First, using the predefined filter STS at 260ms, we found that the cortical sensitivity of STS to facial features, observed in neurotypical participants1, extended to patients with WS as opposed to patients with ASD. Again, this activity was eyes sensitive. Next, we used spatial regressor of the face cue map and computed, at each time point (without spatial a priori), to what extent the multichannel EEG signal could decode this regressor. We showed that, in contrast to patients with ASD, WS patients and young adults, produce a late (260ms) STS evoked response that is sensitive to socially relevant facial features (such as the eye and mouth). We also showed that the early (170ms) evoked response can be predicted by socially relevant facial features in patients with ASD and controls, but not in WS patients. In patients with WS, the decoding peak occurred only in the late component (at 260 ms) of the EEG, while, for patients with ASD, it occurred preferentially in the early component (at 170 ms). The present study confirms the previous results reported by Lio et al. and extend these findings by dissociating the time course of neural processes involved in face perception in WS and ASD patients. It reveals a dissociation among these two patients groups and suggest that although both syndromes are associated with social disturbances, their impairment at the neural level may have a different origin. These results provide essential evidence for understanding what, where and when neurocomputations are performed in our brain.

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Investigating the Time Course of Face Perception Using Web-based Eye Tracking

Journal of Vision ◽

10.1167/jov.21.9.2965 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (9) ◽

pp. 2965

Author(s):

Amy vanWell ◽

James Tanaka ◽

Xiaoyi Liu ◽

Jacob Martin

Keyword(s):

Eye Tracking ◽

Face Perception ◽

Time Course ◽

Web Based

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Face Masks Disrupt Holistic Processing and Face Perception in School-Age Children

10.31234/osf.io/fygjq ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Andreja Stajduhar ◽

Tzvi Ganel ◽

Galia Avidan ◽

R. Shayna Rosenbaum ◽

Erez Freud

Keyword(s):

Face Perception ◽

Age Groups ◽

Developmental Trajectory ◽

Holistic Processing ◽

School Age Children ◽

School Age ◽

Face Inversion Effect ◽

Processing Abilities ◽

Adults And Children ◽

Qualitative Changes

Face perception is considered a remarkable visual ability in humans, which is subject to a prolonged developmental trajectory. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, mask-wearing has become mandatory for adults and children alike. However, previous research indicates its adverse effects on face recognition abilities in adults. The current study sought to explore the effect of masks on face processing abilities in school-age children given that face perception is not fully developed in this population. To this end, children (n = 72, ages 6-14 years old) completed the Cambridge Face Memory Test – Kids (CFMT-K), a validated measure of face perception performance. Faces were presented with or without masks and across two orientations (upright/inverted). The inclusion of face masks led to a profound deficit in face perception abilities. This decrement was more pronounced in children compared to adults, despite adjustment of task difficulty across the two age groups. Additionally, children exhibited reliable correlations between age and the CFMT score for upright faces for both the mask and no-mask conditions. Finally, as previously observed in adults, children also showed qualitative changes in the processing of masked faces. Specifically, holistic processing, a hallmark of face perception, was disrupted for masked faces, as suggested by a reduced face-inversion effect. Together, these findings provide evidence for substantial quantitative and qualitative alterations in the processing of masked faces in school-age children.

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