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Category specificity in holistic processing: Reciprocal face-word interference does not extend to body stimuli.
Paulo Ventura1, Alexandre Pereira2,3, Tina T Liu4
1CICPSI, Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1649-013, Lisbon, Portugal. paulo.ventura@gmail.com.
Attention, Perception & Psychophysics
|April 30, 2026
Summary
Holistic processing of faces and words interferes, but this effect does not extend to body perception. This suggests distinct processing mechanisms for different visual categories.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Prior research shows reciprocal interference in holistic processing between faces and words.
- This interference suggests shared processing mechanisms for these categories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if holistic processing of body stimuli is subject to similar interference.
- To determine the category specificity of interference in holistic visual processing.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Assessed interference of aligned faces on holistic body processing.
- Experiment 2: Assessed interference of aligned words on holistic body processing.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in holistic body processing was found when faces were aligned or misaligned.
- No evidence of interference in body processing was observed with aligned words.
Conclusions:
- Body processing is not affected by the alignment of overlaid faces or words.
- Findings highlight the specificity and limitations of shared holistic processing mechanisms across visual categories.
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