Revisiting the link between horizontal tuning and face processing ability with independent measures

In recent years, horizontal spatial information has received attention for its role in face perception. One study, for instance, has reported an association between horizontal tuning for faces and face identification ability measured within the same task. A possible consequence of this is that the correlation could have been overestimated. In the present study, we wanted to reexamine this question. We first measured face processing ability on the Cambridge Face Memory Test +, the Cambridge Face Perception Test, and the Glasgow Face Matching Test. A single ability score was extracted using a principal components analysis. In a separate task, participants also completed an identification task in which faces were randomly filtered on a trial basis using orientation bubbles. This task allowed the extraction of individual orientation profiles and horizontal tuning scores for faces. We then measured the association between horizontal tuning for faces and the face-processing ability score and observed a significant positive correlation. Importantly, this relation could not be accounted for by other factors such as object-processing ability, horizontal tuning for cars, or greater sensitivity to horizontal gratings. Our data give further credence to the hypothesis that horizontal facial structure plays a crucial role in face processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).