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Stimulus factors affecting the categorisation of faces and scrambled faces
N Donnelly1, G W Humphreys, J Sawyer
1Institute of Social and Applied Psychology, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK.
Acta Psychologica
|May 1, 1994
Summary
This study reveals that real and highly scrambled faces are processed similarly, faster than moderately scrambled ones, regardless of orientation. This suggests parallel matching for faces and serial search for scrambled stimuli.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Face categorization is a fundamental cognitive process.
- The role of holistic versus feature-based processing in face recognition is debated.
- Stimulus orientation and scrambling can impact face perception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how upright and inverted faces and scrambled faces are categorized.
- To compare categorization times for different types of scrambled faces.
- To explore the visual information used in face categorization.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments using a face/scrambled face decision task.
- Presentation of upright and inverted stimuli: real faces, highly scrambled faces, and moderately scrambled faces.
- Manipulation of stimulus features and outline in Experiment 2 and 3.
Main Results:
- Faces and highly scrambled faces were categorized equally quickly, faster than moderately scrambled faces.
- Results were consistent for both upright and inverted stimuli.
- Stimulus outline significantly affected categorization of scrambled faces, but not real faces.
Conclusions:
- Face categorization likely involves parallel matching to stored representations, even for scrambled faces.
- Scrambled face categorization may involve a serial feature search.
- Coarse visual coding and stimulus outline are important factors in face perception.