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First fixations in face processing: the more diagnostic they are the smaller the face-inversion effect.
Peter J Hills1, Rachel E Cooper, J Michael Pake
1Department of Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK. peter.hills@anglia.ac.uk
Acta Psychologica
|January 26, 2013
Summary
The first facial feature you look at significantly impacts face recognition, even more than whether the face is upright or inverted. Focusing on the eyes first improves recognition accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- The face-inversion effect describes reduced recognition accuracy for inverted faces compared to upright faces.
- Previous research suggests the initial feature attended to may influence the face-inversion effect.
- The role of initial fixation location in face recognition and the face-inversion effect remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the first attended facial feature influences face recognition accuracy.
- To determine if the location of the first fixation (eyes vs. mouth) affects the face-inversion effect.
- To assess the predictive power of initial fixation location on recognition accuracy.
Main Methods:
- An eye-tracking study was conducted using fixation crosses to direct attention to either the eye or mouth region of upright and inverted faces.
- Participants viewed faces with guided initial fixations and their recognition accuracy was recorded.
- Eye-movement data, including the location of the first fixation, were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Recognition accuracy was higher when the initial fixation was directed to the eye region compared to the mouth region.
- The face-inversion effect was diminished when attention was cued to the eyes.
- The location of the first fixation accurately predicted recognition accuracy, regardless of face orientation.
Conclusions:
- The initial facial feature attended to is a stronger predictor of recognition accuracy than face orientation.
- Directing initial attention to the eyes enhances face recognition and reduces the face-inversion effect.
- These findings support the hypothesis that early attentional processes play a critical role in face perception.
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