Spatio-temporal dynamics of face recognition in a flash: it's in the eyes

We adapted the Bubbles procedure [Vis. Res. 41 (2001) 2261] to examine the effective use of information during the first 282 ms of face identification. Ten participants each viewed a total of 5100 faces sub-sampled in space–time. We obtained a clear pattern of effective use of information: the eye on the left side of the image became diagnostic between 47 and 94 ms after the onset of the stimulus; after 94 ms, both eyes were used effectively. This preference for the eyes increased with practice, and was not solely due to the informativeness of the eyes for the task at hand. The bias for the eye on the left side of the image is explained in terms of hemispheric specialization. Although there were individual differences, most participants exhibited this pattern of effective use of information. An intriguing finding is that most participants displayed a clear sinusoidal modulation of effective use of attention through time with a frequency of about 10.6 Hz.

[1]  James W. Tanaka,et al.  Expertise in object and face recognition , 1997 .

[2]  B. Dosher,et al.  Mechanisms of perceptual learning , 1999, Vision Research.

[3]  P. Schyns,et al.  No troubles with bubbles: a reply to Murray and Gold , 2004, Vision Research.

[4]  V. Goffaux,et al.  Spatio-temporal localization of the face inversion effect: an event-related potentials study , 1999, Biological Psychology.

[5]  D. Simons,et al.  CHAPTER 13 – Change Blindness , 2005 .

[6]  P. Schyns,et al.  A principled method for determining the functionality of brain responses , 2003, Neuroreport.

[7]  David J. Heeger,et al.  Spatiotemporal mechanisms for detecting and identifying image features in human vision , 2002, Nature Neuroscience.

[8]  Frédéric Gosselin,et al.  A Principled Method for Determining the Functionality of ERP Components. , 2003 .

[9]  Frédéric Gosselin,et al.  Bubbles: a technique to reveal the use of information in recognition tasks , 2001, Vision Research.

[10]  S. Bentin,et al.  Domain specificity versus expertise: factors influencing distinct processing of faces , 2002, Cognition.

[11]  A. Treisman,et al.  A feature-integration theory of attention , 1980, Cognitive Psychology.

[12]  L. M. Ward,et al.  Synchronous neural oscillations and cognitive processes , 2003, Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

[13]  M. Tarr,et al.  Becoming a “Greeble” Expert: Exploring Mechanisms for Face Recognition , 1997, Vision Research.

[14]  B Julesz,et al.  The speed of attentional shifts in the visual field. , 1991, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[15]  T. Allison,et al.  Face-Specific Processing in the Human Fusiform Gyrus , 1997, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

[16]  Wendy L. Braje,et al.  Illumination effects in face recognition , 1998, Psychobiology.

[17]  J. Sergent,et al.  Functional neuroanatomy of face and object processing. A positron emission tomography study. , 1992, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[18]  S. Ullman.  Visual routines , 1984, Cognition.

[19]  P. Schyns,et al.  Blind to Object Changes: When Learning the Same Object at Different Levels of Categorization Modifies Its Perception , 1999 .

[20]  W. Singer,et al.  Temporal coding in the visual cortex: new vistas on integration in the nervous system , 1992, Trends in Neurosciences.

[21]  K L Shapiro,et al.  Temporary suppression of visual processing in an RSVP task: an attentional blink? . , 1992, Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance.

[22]  N. Kanwisher,et al.  The Fusiform Face Area: A Module in Human Extrastriate Cortex Specialized for Face Perception , 1997, The Journal of Neuroscience.

[23]  N. Kanwisher,et al.  Stages of processing in face perception: an MEG study , 2002, Nature Neuroscience.

[24]  D. Perrett,et al.  Perceptual asymmetries in judgements of facial attractiveness, age, gender, speech and expression , 1997, Neuropsychologia.

[25]  Pascal Mamassian,et al.  Neural correlates of shape from shading , 2003, Neuroreport.

[26]  R. Ivry,et al.  The two sides of perception , 1997 .

[27]  M. Farah,et al.  Parts and Wholes in Face Recognition , 1993, The Quarterly journal of experimental psychology. A, Human experimental psychology.

[28]  Jason M. Gold,et al.  Characterizing perceptual learning with external noise , 2004, Cogn. Sci..

[29]  D H Brainard,et al.  The Psychophysics Toolbox. , 1997, Spatial vision.

[30]  T. Allison,et al.  Electrophysiological Studies of Face Perception in Humans , 1996, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

[31]  D G Pelli,et al.  The VideoToolbox software for visual psychophysics: transforming numbers into movies. , 1997, Spatial vision.

[32]  G. Miller,et al.  Cognitive science. , 1981, Science.

[33]  Garrison W. Cottrell,et al.  Transmitting and decoding facial expressions of emotion , 2004 .

[34]  C. Koch,et al.  Is perception discrete or continuous? , 2003, Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

[35]  J. O'Regan,et al.  Solving the "real" mysteries of visual perception: the world as an outside memory. , 1992, Canadian journal of psychology.

[36]  E. Cooper,et al.  The Priming of Face Recognition after Metric Transformations , 2002, Perception.

[37]  P. Schyns,et al.  Receptive Fields for Flexible Face Categorizations , 2004, Psychological science.

[38]  Jason M. Gold,et al.  Troubles with bubbles , 2004, Vision Research.

[39]  Andrew Hollingworth,et al.  Eye Movements, Visual Memory, and Scene Representation , 2000 .

[40]  A. Oliva,et al.  Dr. Angry and Mr. Smile: when categorization flexibly modifies the perception of faces in rapid visual presentations , 1999, Cognition.

[41]  P. Schyns,et al.  Show Me the Features! Understanding Recognition From the Use of Visual Information , 2002, Psychological science.

[42]  Ronald A. Rensink,et al.  TO SEE OR NOT TO SEE: The Need for Attention to Perceive Changes in Scenes , 1997 .

[43]  Philippe G Schyns,et al.  RAP: a new framework for visual categorization , 2002, Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

[44]  Michael L. Peterson,et al.  Perception of Faces, Objects, and Scenes: Analytic and Holistic Processes (335-355) , 2006 .