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Deficits in early-stage face perception in excessive internet users.
Jin-bo He1, Chia-ju Liu, Yong-yu Guo
1School of Psychology, Hua Zhong Normal University and Hubei Human Development and Mental Health Key Laboratory, Wuhan City, China.
Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking
|January 21, 2011
Summary
Young excessive Internet users (EIUs) show deficits in early face perception processing. Their brain responses to faces suggest difficulties in basic facial information analysis, impacting social communication.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Excessive Internet use is linked to impaired social communication.
- Effective social communication relies heavily on facial perception abilities.
- Early-stage processing of facial information is crucial for social interaction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare early face-perception processing between young excessive Internet users (EIUs) and healthy controls.
- To investigate event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to faces and non-face stimuli.
- To identify potential neural correlates of social communication deficits in EIUs.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a passive visual detection paradigm.
- Analyzed event-related potentials (ERPs), specifically P1 and N170 components.
- Compared responses to upright and inverted faces versus upright and inverted tables.
Main Results:
- EIUs exhibited smaller P1 components compared to controls for both faces and tables.
- The N170 effect (faces vs. tables) was significantly smaller in EIUs.
- The N170 inversion effect (upright vs. inverted faces) was similar in both groups.
Conclusions:
- EIUs demonstrate deficits in the early stages of face-perception processing.
- Holistic or configural face processing may remain intact in EIUs.
- Further research is needed to explore deeper face perception processes like memory and identification in EIUs.
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