From Monroe to Moreau: an analysis of face naming errors

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Psycholinguistics
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Face recognition and speech production models have historically been developed in isolation.
• Naming a familiar face integrates visual perception with verbal output, linking these two domains.
• Existing models do not fully account for the interplay between visual recognition and speech production processes in face naming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To revise the Bruce and Young model of face processing by incorporating elements from Levelt's model of speech production.
• To introduce a "perceptual loop" mechanism for monitoring face naming accuracy.
• To investigate the influence of surname frequency on face naming errors and speech monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Proposed a revised model integrating face recognition and speech production features.
• Formulated predictions based on the "perceptual loop" hypothesis regarding error asymmetry and error repairing.
• Conducted a laboratory face naming task to analyze naming errors.
• Performed an experiment to assess the effect of surname frequency on naming latencies.

Main Results:

• Observed an "error asymmetry effect": rare surnames were more frequently replaced by common ones than vice versa.
• Found an "error-repairing effect": errors involving common surnames were more likely to be corrected.
• Naming latencies were not significantly affected by surname frequency, challenging explanations solely based on lexical access frequency.

Conclusions:

• The "perceptual loop" hypothesis provides a parsimonious explanation for the observed face naming error patterns.
• The revised model successfully integrates face recognition and speech production, highlighting the role of speech monitoring in naming familiar faces.
• Surname frequency influences naming errors through monitoring mechanisms rather than solely through lexical access speed.