Attention misplaced - The role of diagnostic features in the face-inversion effect.pdf (234.52 kB)
Attention misplaced: the role of diagnostic features in the face-inversion effect
journal contribution
posted on 2023-08-30, 13:48 authored by Peter J. Hills, David A. Ross, Michael B. LewisInversion disproportionately impairs recognition of face stimuli compared to non-face stimuli arguably due to the holistic manner in which faces are processed. A qualification is put forward in which the first point fixated upon is different for upright and inverted faces and this carries some of the face-inversion effect. Three experiments explored this possibility by using fixation crosses to guide attention to the eye or mouth region of the to-be-presented faces in different orientations. Recognition was better when the fixation cross appeared at the eye region than at the mouth region. The face-inversion effect was smaller when the eyes were cued than when the mouth was cued or when there was no cueing. The results suggest that the first facial feature attended to is important for accurate face recognition and this may carry some of the effects of inversion.
History
Refereed
- Yes
Volume
37Issue number
5Page range
1396-1406Publication title
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and PerformanceISSN
1939-1277External DOI
Publisher
American Psychological AssociationFile version
- Accepted version
Language
- eng