Experience Modulates Visuocortical Reponses to Faces in 3- to 6-Year-Old Children

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Cognition

Background:

• Face processing is crucial for social cognition.
• Development of race and gender biases in face processing in children is not well understood.
• Early childhood exposure to diverse social environments influences these biases.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate how preschool children's familiarity with race and gender groups affects neural responses during face processing.
• Examine the influence of real-world social exposure on face-processing biases.

Main Methods:

• Used fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) to record steady-state visual evoked potentials (ssVEPs) in children aged 3-6 years.
• Presented streams of faces, with infrequent 'oddball' faces from different race/gender groups.
• Assessed familiarity via parental report.

Main Results:

• Found robust neural responses to faces.
• Faces from familiar race groups elicited larger general visual responses (6 Hz).
• Oddball responses (1.2 Hz) were enhanced for unfamiliar race groups, indicating heightened sensitivity.
• No significant effects of face gender were observed.
• Right occipitotemporal activity increased with age, suggesting developing face processing networks.

Conclusions:

• Prior experience with race groups, not gender, significantly modulates neural responses to faces in early childhood.
• Real-world social exposure is a key factor in developing face-processing biases.
• Children's neural systems adapt to their social environment, influencing how they perceive faces.