Mapping the Featural and Holistic Face Processing of Bad and Good Face Recognizers

Abstract

Individual abilities in face recognition (good versus bad recognizers) were explored by means of event-related potentials (ERPs). The adaptation response profile of the N170 component to whole faces, eyes and mouths was used in order to highlight the crucial role of individual abilities in identity repetition processes for unfamiliar faces. The main point of this study is to underline the importance of characterizing the performance (bad or good) of the participants and to show that behaviorally selected groups might reveal neural differences. Good recognizers showed selective right hemisphere N170 repetition effects for whole faces and not for features. On the contrary, bad recognizers showed a general repetition effect not specifically related to faces and more pronounced processing for features. These findings suggest a different contribution of holistic and featural analysis in bad and good performers. In conclusion, we propose that the N170 might be used as a tool to tease apart face encoding processes as a function of individual differences.

The part-whole effect in super-recognisers and typical-range-ability controls

“…Similar effects are not found with non-face objects. For instance, a recent EEG study suggests that good face recognisers might rely more on holistic processing than bad face recognisers (Marzi et al, 2021). Impaired holistic processing also explains impaired face processing in some DPs (e.g., Behrmann & Avidan, 2005, DeGutis, Cohan, Mercado, Wilmer, & Nakayama, 2012; although see Le Grand et al, 2006), and enhanced holistic processing may explain superior face recognition in some SRs (e.g., Bobak, Bennetts et al, 2016;Russell et al, 2009).…”