Image reconstruction reveals the impact of aging on face perception.

Abstract

Extensive work has demonstrated an age-related decline in face recognition, but the nature and the extent of aging-related alterations in face representations remain unclear. Here, we address these issues using an image reconstruction approach to reveal the content of visual representations. Healthy young and older adults provided similarity judgments for pairs of face images. Facial shape and surface features were subsequently derived and combined into image reconstructions of facial appearance. Both objective and experimental evaluations revealed that reconstructions were successful for every participant. Critically, shape and surface properties, such as eye shape and skin tone, were less accurately represented in older than young individuals. Yet, age-related differences in face representations, though significant, were less pronounced than those due to individual variability. Our results provide novel insights into age-related changes in visual perception and demonstrate the utility of image reconstruction to uncovering internal representations across a variety of populations. Public Significance StatementIt is well-documented that human face perception abilities deteriorate with age, but how exactly healthy aging impacts these abilities remains largely unknown. In the current study, we show that visual processing of facial shape and surface information is compromised in older adults but that age-related effects are less prominent than those due to individual differences. Our work also demonstrates that a data-driven approach can pinpoint subtle differences in face representations, and it further validates the applicability of image reconstruction to a wider population.