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Dissociation between overt and unconscious face processing in fusiform face area
Christoph Lehmann1, Thomas Mueller, Andrea Federspiel
1University Hospital of Clinical Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatric Neurophysiology, Waldau, 3000 60, Bern, Switzerland.
Neuroimage
|January 27, 2004
Summary
The fusiform face area (FFA) shows distinct activity during face encoding, predicting memory. During recognition, FFA activity differentiates previously seen faces, even without conscious recall, suggesting unconscious processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- The precise function of the fusiform face area (FFA) in facial recognition is debated.
- Research is needed to determine if FFA activation extends beyond basic face perception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the extent to which FFA activation serves functions beyond face perception.
- To explore the role of FFA in both conscious and unconscious face processing.
Main Methods:
- Seven volunteers underwent rapid event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
- Participants performed face-encoding and face-recognition tasks during fMRI scanning.
Main Results:
- FFA activity during face encoding predicted subsequent memory (remembered vs. forgotten faces).
- During face recognition, FFA activity did not differ between consciously remembered and forgotten faces.
- FFA activity differentiated previously seen faces from novel ones, irrespective of conscious recognition.
Conclusions:
- A dissociation exists between overt recognition and unconscious discrimination of faces.
- Face recognition processes can occur physiologically without full conscious awareness.
- FFA plays a role in both memory-related encoding and unconscious stimulus discrimination.