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Hemispheric asymmetry in discriminating faces differing for featural or configural (second-order relations) aspects
Zaira Cattaneo1, Chiara Renzi, Silvia Bona
1Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy, zaira.cattaneo@unimib.it.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|July 27, 2013
Summary
This study shows the right hemisphere is specialized for processing upright face relationships, while both hemispheres contribute to analyzing facial features. This advances our understanding of face perception and hemispheric specialization.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Human face discrimination involves configural and featural processing.
- Configural processing includes second-order relations (feature spacing).
- Hemispheric specialization suggests right hemisphere for configural and left for featural processing, but evidence is inconsistent.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate hemispheric contributions to face discrimination based on relational vs. featural processing.
- Examine right-hemisphere specialization in second-order relations processing using behavioral methods.
Main Methods:
- Divided visual field presentation technique used.
- Participants discriminated faces based on relational (spacing) and featural (inner features) information.
- Upright and inverted faces were presented to assess orientation effects.
Main Results:
- Right-hemispheric specialization observed for relational processing of upright faces.
- No such specialization found for inverted faces.
- Both hemispheres involved in processing faces differing by inner features, indicating combined processing modes.
Conclusions:
- The right hemisphere plays a specialized role in processing upright facial configurations (second-order relations).
- Both hemispheres contribute to featural face analysis.
- Findings support a nuanced model of hemispheric involvement in face perception, dependent on processing type and face orientation.
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