Early identity recognition of familiar faces is not dependent on holistic processing

Abstract

Highlights• Holistic processing is not necessary for early identity recognition of familiar faces.• Inverted faces and isolated features can effectively activate the perceptual memory of a familiar face.• This effectiveness was observed for eyes, but not mouths. AbstractIt is widely accepted that holistic processing is critical for early face recognition, but recent work has suggested a larger role for feature-based processing. The earliest step in familiar face recognition is thought to be matching a perceptual representation of a familiar face to a stored representation of that face, which is thought to be indexed by the N250r event-related potential (ERP). In the current face priming studies, we investigated whether this perceptual representation can be effectively activated by feature-based processing. In the first experiment, prime images were familiar whole faces, isolated eyes, or isolated mouths. Whole faces and isolated eyes, but not isolated mouths, effectively modulated the N250r. In the second experiment, prime images were familiar whole faces presented either upright or inverted. Inverted face primes were no less effective than upright face primes in modulating the N250r. Together, the results of these studies indicate that activation of the earliest face recognition processes is not dependent on holistic processing of a typically configured face. Rather, feature-based processing can effectively activate the perceptual memory of a familiar face. However, not all features are effective primes as we found eyes, but not mouths, were effective in activating early face recognition.

External (Versus Internal) Facial Features Contribute Most to Repetition Priming in Facial Recognition: ERP Evidence

“…In an a priori power analysis applying G*Power 3.1 (Faul et al., 2009), we assumed the standard significance criteria (α = .05 two-tailed, 1-β = .80), a small-to-medium effect size ( f = .23) with a repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), and found a required minimum sample size of 15 participants. Previous investigations concerning the repetition priming of human faces included 17-24 participants (Feuerriegel, Keage, et al., 2018; Mohr et al., 2018; Nie, Li, et al., 2016; Nie, Ye, et al., 2016; Wiese et al., 2017). Thus, we believed the current sample size of 22 to be satisfactory.…”

“…There were equal numbers of male and female faces. We selected celebrities’ facial images as stimuli because previous studies found that such faces elicited stronger N250r and N400 activations than did unfamiliar faces (Engst et al., 2006; Herzmann, 2016; Mohr et al., 2018; Nie, Li, et al., 2016; Nie, Ye, et al., 2016; Schweinberger & Neumann, 2016; Wiese et al., 2013). Similar to previous investigations (Nie, Li, et al., 2016; Nie, Michael, et al., 2014; Nie, Ye, et al., 2016), all the current images were processed into standardized colored faces against white backgrounds using Adobe Photoshop CC 2017.…”

“…Despite similar associations with recall performance, the occurrence of the N250r ERP component is modulated by the existence of pre-existing memory representations of faces. Numerous publications have revealed that: (a) famous/familiar human faces elicit much stronger N250r than do other types of stimuli (e.g., familiar buildings, ape faces, or cars), (b) pre-experimentally experienced famous/familiar human faces or experimentally induced familiar faces produce greater N250r than unfamiliar faces, and (c) faces of people of one’s race elicit stronger N250r than faces of people of other races (Engst et al., 2006; Hashemi et al., 2019; Herzmann, 2016; Mohr et al., 2018; Neumann et al., 2011; Nie, Li, et al., 2016; Nie, Ye, et al., 2016; Schweinberger & Neumann, 2016; Wiese et al., 2013). Thus, these studies have consistently shown that certain characteristics of human faces and the pre-existing memory representations of faces play important roles in eliciting N250r.…”

“…Yet, to date, there has been little research emphasizes on the relative contributions to repetition priming of local facial features (e.g., eyes or mouth) vs. holistic faces. Mohr et al. (2018) used either holistic faces of familiar persons or merely local features (i.e., eyes or mouths) of familiar personal faces as primes and as targets, and found that both holistic faces and presentations of merely the eyes as primes elicited similar and reliable N250r activation; however, there was no such activation by using only the mouth as a prime.…”

“…Thus, human eyes played more critical roles than mouths in eliciting perceptual memory of familiar faces (analogous to past findings with holistic faces vs facial features). Furthermore, when the primed eyes were inverted, the N250r activation vanished, indicating that priming was severely disrupted by distorting the eyes (Mohr et al., 2018).…”