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Face masks disrupt holistic processing and face perception in school-age children
Andreja Stajduhar1, Tzvi Ganel2, Galia Avidan3,2
1Department of Psychology and the Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Canada.
Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications
|February 7, 2022
Summary
Face masks significantly impair face recognition in children, impacting their developing visual abilities. This study reveals both quantitative and qualitative changes in how children process masked faces.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Visual perception
Background:
- Human face perception develops over a prolonged period.
- COVID-19 pandemic mandated mask-wearing for all age groups.
- Masks are known to hinder adult face recognition, but effects on children are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of mask-wearing on face perception in school-age children.
- To compare the effects of masks on children's face recognition with existing adult data.
- To explore both quantitative and qualitative changes in masked face processing.
Main Methods:
- Tested 72 children (ages 6-14) using the Cambridge Face Memory Test - Kids (CFMT-K).
- Presented faces with and without masks in upright and inverted orientations.
- Analyzed performance decrements and correlations with age.
Main Results:
- Masks caused significant deficits in children's face perception abilities.
- The deficit was more pronounced in children than adults (with adjusted difficulty).
- Masked faces disrupted holistic processing, indicated by a reduced face-inversion effect.
Conclusions:
- Mask-wearing substantially alters both the quantity and quality of masked face processing in children.
- Findings highlight the significant impact on developing face perception skills.
- Masks disrupt a key aspect of face perception: holistic processing.
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