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Published on: June 3, 2013
Adaptation improves face trustworthiness discrimination
B D Keefe1, M Dzhelyova, D I Perrett
1Department of Psychology, University of York York, UK.
Frontiers in Psychology
|June 27, 2013
Summary
Adapting to faces of a specific trustworthiness level enhances sensitivity to similar faces. This perceptual adaptation improves facial trustworthiness discrimination, even across different genders and identities.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Facial characteristic adaptation influences perception and discrimination.
- Previous research shows adaptation biases perception and improves discrimination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if adapting to facial trustworthiness levels enhances sensitivity around the adapted level.
- To determine if adaptation to one trustworthiness level affects discrimination of another.
Main Methods:
- Participants adapted to trustworthy or untrustworthy faces.
- Just-noticeable differences (JNDs) were measured using a two-interval forced-choice (2-IFC) adaptive staircase procedure.
- Psychometric functions derived JNDs for trustworthy and untrustworthy faces.
Main Results:
- Adaptation improved sensitivity to faces of the same trustworthiness level compared to no adaptation.
- No sensitivity improvement was observed when adapting to and discriminating different trustworthiness levels.
- Enhanced sensitivity occurred regardless of gender or identity, suggesting selective mechanism enhancement.
Conclusions:
- Facial trustworthiness adaptation selectively enhances perceptual sensitivity to trustworthiness.
- Visual experience plays a role in judging the trustworthiness of others.
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