Decomposing the composite face effect: Evidence for non-holistic processing based on the ex-Gaussian distribution

Fitousi, Daniel

doi:10.1177/1747021820904222

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 115 publications

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“…If the perception of a single face is indeed holistic, in the sense that it is fast and automatic (Farah et al, 1998), then processing of two faces should be holistic as well-namely, held according to a parallel or coactive architecture, and with unlimited or even supercapacity. If, on the other hand, perception of a single face is analytic (Cheng et al, 2018;Fitousi, 2015Fitousi, , 2016Fitousi, , 2019bFitousi, , 2020a, then processing of two faces should be serial and capacity limited.…”

Section: Sft Interrogation Of Face Detectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When two faces are not better than one: Serial limited-capacity processing with redundant-target faces

Fitousi

2021

Atten Percept Psychophys

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Many researchers believe that faces-whether presented alone or as part of an ensemble-are processed automatically. According to this idea, (a) the detection of single or multiple faces is resource free and does not require allocation of attention, and (b) visual search for faces is held in parallel. The current study put these hypotheses under direct scrutiny. Participants performed in a redundant target-detection task, responding according to the presence or absence of a face (or faces) on the display. I used a rigorous methodology known as the system factorial technology (SFT). The SFT methodology afforded simultaneous assessment of (a) architecture (serial vs. parallel), (b) stopping rule (exhaustive vs. self-terminating), and (c) capacity (limited, unlimited, or supercapacity). SFT analyses were held at the level of the mean RTs and at the level of the RT distributions. The analyses pointed conclusively to a serial self-terminating architecture with limited capacity. These findings cast serious doubts on the alleged automaticity of face perception.

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Section: Sft Interrogation Of Face Detectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When two faces are not better than one: Serial limited-capacity processing with redundant-target faces

Fitousi

2021

Atten Percept Psychophys

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“…In their investigation models of latent variables revealed important relations of the ex-Gaussian parameters with other high cognitive functions. The upshot is that statistical regularities in the ex-Gaussian parameters might be correlated with theoretical constructs, allowing a psychological interpretation (see Fitousi, 2020a).…”

Section: How Does This Study Inform Research On the Ex-gaussian Distrmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking the Ex-Gaussian Parameters to Cognitive Stages: Insights from the Linear Ballistic Accumulator (LBA) Model

Fitousi¹

2020

TQMP

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The ex-Gaussian distribution has been routinely used by researchers as a descriptive tool to characterize response time data in speeded two-choice tasks. It has also served as a psychological theory of the underlying cognitive processes. The latter practice requires that the ex-Gaussian parameters should map in a one-to-one correspondence to distinct cognitive stages or process model parameters. The current investigation assessed the correspondence between the ex-Gaussian parameters and the parameters of a well-established process model-the linear ballistic accumulator (LBA, Brown & Heathcote, 2008), using simulations and analyses of empirical data. The results showed the ex-Gaussian parameters bear lawful relations with the LBA's parameters, but that these relations are not unique. These results are in accordance with two earlier studies by Matzke and Wagenmakers (2009) and Rieger and Miller (2019), who assessed the relations between the ex-Gaussian and the diffusion's model parameters. The outcome of the current study suggests that researchers should exercise caution when deploying the ex-Gaussian parameters as a means of psychological theorizing.

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“…In contrast, the literature seems to support the attentional independence of word recognition, as the VWFA has been described for face recognition as part of the language and attention circuitry [ 25 ]. Recent literature casts doubt on the holistic perspective and argues that the exponential component ( τ ), obtained through an ex-Gaussian analysis, is related to working memory and attentional processes [ 53 , 54 ]. However, note that in our case, no remarkable differences were found in the τ parameter between the different conditions under study.…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Word and Face Recognition Processing Based on Response Times and Ex-Gaussian Components

Moret-Tatay

Gallego

Sáiz-Mauleón

et al. 2021

Entropy

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The face is a fundamental feature of our identity. In humans, the existence of specialized processing modules for faces is now widely accepted. However, identifying the processes involved for proper names is more problematic. The aim of the present study is to examine which of the two treatments is produced earlier and whether the social abilities are influent. We selected 100 university students divided into two groups: Spanish and USA students. They had to recognize famous faces or names by using a masked priming task. An analysis of variance about the reaction times (RT) was used to determine whether significant differences could be observed in word or face recognition and between the Spanish or USA group. Additionally, and to examine the role of outliers, the Gaussian distribution has been modified exponentially. Famous faces were recognized faster than names, and differences were observed between Spanish and North American participants, but not for unknown distracting faces. The current results suggest that response times to face processing might be faster than name recognition, which supports the idea of differences in processing nature.

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Decomposing the composite face effect: Evidence for non-holistic processing based on the ex-Gaussian distribution

Cited by 12 publications

References 115 publications

When two faces are not better than one: Serial limited-capacity processing with redundant-target faces

When two faces are not better than one: Serial limited-capacity processing with redundant-target faces

Linking the Ex-Gaussian Parameters to Cognitive Stages: Insights from the Linear Ballistic Accumulator (LBA) Model

Word and Face Recognition Processing Based on Response Times and Ex-Gaussian Components

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