Modulation of event-related potentials by prototypical and atypical faces

High-density event-related potentials (HD-ERPs) were recorded while adults passively viewed colour images of faces that artificially (Experiment I) or naturally (Experiment II) differed in configuration. In Experiment I, altering features of faces to make them less typical and less attractive did not affect the amplitude of N170, but did affect the amplitude of P1 and P2. In Experiment II, the P1 and N170 were larger for unattractive and atypical faces compared with attractive and typical faces, in the absence of P2 effects. The results show for the first time that variations in facial configuration modulate ERP activity as early as P1, but that modulation of later latency components depends on the nature of the stimuli and implicit task demands.