Serial dependence of facial identity reflects high-level face coding

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Visual Perception
• Face Recognition

Background:

• Serial dependence of facial identity biases perception towards previously seen faces.
• Individual differences in serial dependence strength and tuning correlate with face recognition ability.
• The functional role of this bias in face perception is under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if facial identity serial dependence is a high-level coding mechanism or a low-level feature bias.
• To investigate the locus of serial dependence in face perception.

Main Methods:

• Tested serial dependence across changes in face viewpoint to assess low-level feature influence.
• Examined the effect of face inversion on serial dependence strength and tuning.

Main Results:

• Facial identity serial dependence persisted despite changes in face viewpoint, challenging a purely low-level explanation.
• Serial dependence was significantly stronger and more narrowly tuned for upright faces compared to inverted faces.

Conclusions:

• Results suggest facial identity serial dependence operates on high-level visual representations.
• The findings support the view that this bias is a face-coding mechanism at the level of facial identity.