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Interattribute Distances do not Represent the Identity of Real World Faces
Vincent Taschereau-Dumouchel1, Bruno Rossion, Philippe G Schyns
1Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal Montreal, QC, Canada.
Frontiers in Psychology
|August 12, 2011
Summary
Human face recognition does not primarily rely on the distances between facial features. Instead, attribute shapes and skin properties are the dominant cues for accurate facial recognition.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Vision Science
Background:
- A prevailing theory suggests human face recognition heavily depends on the spatial relationships between internal facial features.
- This view is largely supported by developmental studies and the face inversion effect.
- However, empirical evidence directly supporting this claim is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the actual information content of interattribute distances in real-world face recognition.
- To compare the effectiveness of interattribute distances versus other facial cues (e.g., feature shape, skin properties) in face recognition.
- To challenge the dominant view on the role of interattribute distances in face perception.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a dataset of 515 face photographs to quantify information in interattribute distances.
- Created experimental conditions that manipulated the exaggeration of interattribute distance information compared to real-world faces.
- Assessed human observer performance in face recognition tasks using real-world interattribute distances and other facial cues across various viewing distances.
Main Results:
- Previous studies may have overestimated the role of interattribute distances by using stimuli that exaggerated this information by 376% compared to naturalistic faces.
- Human observers exhibited poor face recognition performance when relying solely on real-world interattribute distances, even at distances up to 16 meters.
- Face recognition accuracy was nearly perfect when observers utilized other facial cues, such as attribute shapes and skin properties.
Conclusions:
- Interattribute distances play a minimal role in human face recognition under natural viewing conditions.
- Facial attribute shapes and skin properties are the primary sources of information utilized by the brain for face recognition.
- The findings necessitate a re-evaluation of current models of face perception that emphasize spatial configurations.
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