Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...

Prosopagnosia

Prosopagnosia

Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, is the inability to recognize faces. In severe cases, individuals with prosopagnosia may not recognize close family members, including parents and spouses, by their faces. For instance, someone with prosopagnosia might walk past their child in a crowd, only realizing their mistake upon noticing their child's distinctive backpack or favorite jacket. Prosopagnosia specifically impairs facial recognition, while the recognition of other objects or...

Parallel Processing

Parallel Processing

The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...

Gestalt Principles of Perception

Gestalt Principles of Perception

Gestalt principles provide a framework for understanding how humans perceive objects as unified wholes within their context. These principles are essential in explaining the cognitive processes that make sense of complex visual stimuli by organizing them into coherent groups. One fundamental principle is proximity, which posits that objects located close to each other are perceived as a collective group. For instance, when dots are positioned near one another, the visual system interprets them...

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

Charles Darwin proposed that facial expressions are an evolutionary adaptation for communication. He argued that these expressions are not influenced by culture but are universal across species. For example, a snarling expression with exposed teeth signals a threat in many animals, including humans. Darwin also suggested that displaying an emotion can intensify the feeling. Smiling, for example, could enhance one's sense of happiness. This idea laid the foundation for understanding the role of...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Category-selective neural decreases in the human ventral occipito-temporal cortex as defined with intracranial recordings.

NeuroImage·2026

Same author

Horizontal image compression significantly impairs human face identity recognition.

Brain research·2026

Same author

The critical role of the right anterior fusiform gyrus in unfamiliar face identity discrimination.

Brain structure & function·2026

Same author

Objective neural face recognition neuromodulation within a single transcranial direct current stimulation session.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2026

Same author

Lexical brain responses in 10-year-old children are impaired in dyslexia: An FPVS-EEG study.

Brain and cognition·2026

Same author

Intracerebral Electrical Stimulation of the Left Occipito-Temporal Cortex Induces Pure Alexia.

Neurobiology of language (Cambridge, Mass.)·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Three-Dimensional Shape Modeling and Analysis of Brain Structures

Three-Dimensional Shape Modeling and Analysis of Brain Structures

Published on: November 14, 2019

Recognizing an individual face: 3D shape contributes earlier than 2D surface reflectance information.

Stéphanie Caharel¹, Fang Jiang, Volker Blanz

¹Unité Cognition et Développement, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.

|June 6, 2009

Summary

Human brain face recognition relies on 3D shape and 2D reflectance. Three-dimensional shape information is processed faster in the right hemisphere visual cortex than two-dimensional surface reflectance.

More Related Videos

Three-Dimensional Cephalometric Landmark Annotation Demonstration on Human Cone Beam Computed Tomography Scans

Three-Dimensional Cephalometric Landmark Annotation Demonstration on Human Cone Beam Computed Tomography Scans

Published on: September 8, 2023

High-resolution, High-speed, Three-dimensional Video Imaging with Digital Fringe Projection Techniques

High-resolution, High-speed, Three-dimensional Video Imaging with Digital Fringe Projection Techniques

Published on: December 3, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Three-Dimensional Shape Modeling and Analysis of Brain Structures

Three-Dimensional Shape Modeling and Analysis of Brain Structures

Published on: November 14, 2019

Three-Dimensional Cephalometric Landmark Annotation Demonstration on Human Cone Beam Computed Tomography Scans

Three-Dimensional Cephalometric Landmark Annotation Demonstration on Human Cone Beam Computed Tomography Scans

Published on: September 8, 2023

High-resolution, High-speed, Three-dimensional Video Imaging with Digital Fringe Projection Techniques

High-resolution, High-speed, Three-dimensional Video Imaging with Digital Fringe Projection Techniques

Published on: December 3, 2013

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Visual Perception

Background:

Human face recognition involves processing both three-dimensional (3D) shape and two-dimensional (2D) surface reflectance.
Understanding the temporal dynamics of processing these distinct facial cues is crucial for comprehending visual perception.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the time-course of processing 3D shape and 2D surface reflectance in human face recognition.
To compare the neural processing speed of 3D shape versus 2D reflectance using event-related potentials (ERPs).

Main Methods:

Utilized a face adaptation paradigm with event-related potentials (ERPs).
Generated face stimuli varying in 3D shape, 2D surface reflectance, or both, using a 3D morphable model.
Analyzed behavioral performance and ERP components (N170, ~250 ms) in response to face pairs.

Main Results:

Behaviorally, participants were faster at discriminating faces when both 3D shape and 2D reflectance were present.
The N170 component showed increased amplitude for 3D shape changes but not for 2D reflectance changes.
Later ERP components (~250 ms) indicated equal contribution from both 3D shape and 2D reflectance, with combined cues yielding the largest effect.

Conclusions:

Evidence for individual face recognition accumulates faster from 3D shape information compared to 2D surface reflectance.
The right hemisphere human visual cortex processes diagnostic 3D shape information more rapidly for face recognition.
Distinct temporal processing streams exist for 3D shape and 2D reflectance in the human visual system.