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Kin recognition and perceived facial similarity
Journal of Vision
|June 25, 2020
Summary
Facial similarity and kinship judgments are closely related but not identical. This study found both tasks accurately identified siblings, though sex and age differences impacted judgments differently.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Human Behavior
Background:
- Facial similarity is thought to inform kin recognition.
- Previous research yielded conflicting findings on whether similarity and kinship judgments are synonymous.
Purpose of the Study:
- To clarify the relationship between facial similarity and kinship judgments.
- To investigate how sex and age differences affect these judgments.
Main Methods:
- Replicated previous studies with 318 raters evaluating sibling and unrelated child pairs.
- Raters performed either kinship judgments or similarity ratings.
- Utilized a threshold model to analyze accuracy.
Main Results:
- Both kinship and similarity judgments accurately identified siblings.
- Same-sex siblings were identified more accurately than opposite-sex siblings.
- Age differences affected kinship and similarity judgments differently.
Conclusions:
- Facial similarity and kinship judgments are highly correlated but not strictly synonymous.
- Sex and age differences play a nuanced role in kin recognition.
- Findings align with previous research suggesting distinct yet related judgment processes.
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