Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Parallel Processing01:20

Parallel Processing

150
The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...
150
Prosopagnosia01:24

Prosopagnosia

159
Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, is the inability to recognize faces. In severe cases, individuals with prosopagnosia may not recognize close family members, including parents and spouses, by their faces. For instance, someone with prosopagnosia might walk past their child in a crowd, only realizing their mistake upon noticing their child's distinctive backpack or favorite jacket. Prosopagnosia specifically impairs facial recognition, while the recognition of other objects or...
159
Nonconscious Mimicry01:13

Nonconscious Mimicry

4.6K
Nonconscious mimicry occurs when individuals alter their mannerisms to match the behaviors and expressions of those nearby, without intention.
4.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The mystery of a single brain region.

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)·2026
Same author

Reading body and face language in male schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany)·2026
Same author

Effects of quetiapine on cognitive functioning in schizophrenia: evidence for the remyelination hypothesis?

European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience·2026
Same author

Conflict resolution strategies and their association with perceived stress among German medical students: a cross-sectional study.

Frontiers in medicine·2026
Same author

Functional Outcome Prediction in Young Adults With Mental Health Symptoms Using Machine Learning and Large Language Models: Longitudinal Observational Study.

JMIR mental health·2026
Same author

Stress-related hypofrontality in depression and its relation to altered activation prior to the stress response.

NeuroImage. Clinical·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 29, 2025

Inter-Brain Synchrony in Open-Ended Collaborative Learning: An fNIRS-Hyperscanning Study
04:44

Inter-Brain Synchrony in Open-Ended Collaborative Learning: An fNIRS-Hyperscanning Study

Published on: July 21, 2021

4.2K

Dynamic brain communication underwriting face pareidolia.

Valentina Romagnano1, Julian Kubon1, Alexander N Sokolov1

  • 1Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|April 8, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Face pareidolia, the tendency to see faces in non-face objects, involves a late-acting neural network. This network shows complex communication within the social brain and extended cortical regions during visual processing.

Keywords:
brain communicationface pareidoliagamma oscillationsmagnetoencephalographysocial cognition

More Related Videos

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
05:48

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

Published on: June 12, 2020

5.7K
Perceptual and Category Processing of the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis' Dimension of Human Likeness: Some Methodological Issues
07:34

Perceptual and Category Processing of the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis' Dimension of Human Likeness: Some Methodological Issues

Published on: June 3, 2013

17.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 29, 2025

Inter-Brain Synchrony in Open-Ended Collaborative Learning: An fNIRS-Hyperscanning Study
04:44

Inter-Brain Synchrony in Open-Ended Collaborative Learning: An fNIRS-Hyperscanning Study

Published on: July 21, 2021

4.2K
The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
05:48

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

Published on: June 12, 2020

5.7K
Perceptual and Category Processing of the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis' Dimension of Human Likeness: Some Methodological Issues
07:34

Perceptual and Category Processing of the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis' Dimension of Human Likeness: Some Methodological Issues

Published on: June 3, 2013

17.3K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Visual Perception

Background:

  • Face pareidolia is the perception of faces in inanimate objects, indicating heightened sensitivity to facial features.
  • Understanding the underlying neural mechanisms of face pareidolia is crucial for insights into visual processing and social cognition.
  • Existing research on the brain networks involved in face pareidolia is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the temporal dynamics and spatial distribution of neural activity during face pareidolia.
  • To identify the specific brain regions and connectivity patterns associated with perceiving faces in non-face stimuli.
  • To explore the role of gamma oscillations in the neural basis of face pareidolia.

Main Methods:

  • Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to record neuromagnetic activity.
  • Participants viewed non-face images presented in canonical or inverted orientations.
  • Analysis focused on gamma oscillatory activity (40-45 Hz and 80-85 Hz) and brain connectivity over time.

Main Results:

  • Early visual processing (40-45 Hz gamma) involved occipital regions for both face-pareidolia and non-face stimuli.
  • Later processing stages (80-85 Hz gamma) revealed differences in social brain areas for face pareidolia.
  • Time-resolved connectivity analysis demonstrated extensive feedforward and feedback communication within social and extended brain networks.

Conclusions:

  • Face pareidolia relies on a late-emerging neural network, primarily within the social brain.
  • The superior temporal sulcus and insula are key hubs, actively communicating with other regions during face perception.
  • These findings highlight the dynamic interplay of large-scale brain networks in face pareidolia.