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Reaction time measures of feature saliency in schematic faces
I H Fraser1, G L Craig, D M Parker
1Psychology Department, St. Thomas University, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.
Perception
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Facial feature saliency was studied using reaction times. The eyes and outline are typically most salient, but the mouth becomes more salient for surprised, happy, and sad emotional faces.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Facial feature saliency influences how we process faces.
- Previous research indicates a hierarchy of feature importance in face perception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate facial feature saliency using reaction time paradigms.
- To examine how emotional expressions alter feature saliency hierarchies.
Main Methods:
- Employed two reaction time paradigms: feature omission and feature substitution.
- Presented facial features randomly to prevent scanning biases.
- Studied schematic line-drawn faces, including neutral and emotional expressions.
Main Results:
- Confirmed that outlines and eyes are generally more salient than noses and mouths.
- Discovered that the mouth becomes the most salient feature in surprised, happy, and sad faces.
- Observed that this mouth saliency reversal was not present in angry faces.
Conclusions:
- Facial feature saliency is dynamic and influenced by emotional context.
- Attention and processing efficiency likely mediate changes in feature hierarchy during emotion perception.