Use of Face Information Varies Systematically From Developmental Prosopagnosics to Super-Recognizers

Abstract

Face-recognition abilities differ largely in the neurologically typical population. We examined how the use of information varies with face-recognition ability from developmental prosopagnosics to super-recognizers. Specifically, we investigated the use of facial features at different spatial scales in 112 individuals, including 5 developmental prosopagnosics and 8 super-recognizers, during an online famous-face-identification task using the bubbles method. We discovered that viewing of the eyes and mouth to identify faces at relatively high spatial frequencies is strongly correlated with face-recognition ability, evaluated from two independent measures. We also showed that the abilities of developmental prosopagnosics and super-recognizers are explained by a model that predicts face-recognition ability from the use of information built solely from participants with intermediate face-recognition abilities ( n = 99). This supports the hypothesis that the use of information varies quantitatively from developmental prosopagnosics to super-recognizers as a function of face-recognition ability.

Eye movements and retinotopic tuning in developmental prosopagnosia

“…Importantly, the Poor Information Hypothesis concerns how choice of fixation modulates the amount of information available for cortical processing. This is distinct from hypothesized inefficiencies in how well cortex is able to use the information it receives, such as reports of impaired cortical processing of the eye region in acquired prosopagnosia (Caldara et al, 2005;Fiset et al, 2017), DP (Tardif et al, 2019), and low face recognition ability NTs (Royer et al, 2018). Thus, this hypothesis predicts that DP individuals will look outside the region between the eyes and the tip of the nose.…”

Implicit race attitudes modulate visual information extraction for trustworthiness judgments

“…[56]) and perceptual skills (e.g. [44,[57][58][59][60][61]). The main aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of implicit racial attitudes on the visual extraction strategies used during a face trustworthiness comparison task.…”

Pitfalls in using eyewitness confidence to diagnose the accuracy of an individual identification decision.

“…However, there may also be situations where a given suspect appears highly plausible to a given witness based on factors that cannot necessarily be recognized or quantified (cf. Tardif et al, 2019).…”

“…This bias occurs when, despite the researchers' conscientious and systematic efforts to match fillers to the witness's description (or target's physical appearance) and achieve suitable functional lineup size, it becomes clear after a significant amount of lab data have been collected that one person in the target-absent lineup was selected much more often than others. Recent work by Tardif et al (2019) highlights an alternative avenue-other than coincidental or unusual resemblance-through which an innocent suspect might stand out as distinctive in a lineup, despite efforts to follow best practice guidelines. Tardif et al (2019) demonstrated that most of the variance in face recognition performance (between super-recognizers, "normal" participants, and prosopagnosics) can be predicted by participants' use of information relating to the eyes/eyebrows and the mouth of the target stimuli.…”

“…Recent work by Tardif et al (2019) highlights an alternative avenue-other than coincidental or unusual resemblance-through which an innocent suspect might stand out as distinctive in a lineup, despite efforts to follow best practice guidelines. Tardif et al (2019) demonstrated that most of the variance in face recognition performance (between super-recognizers, "normal" participants, and prosopagnosics) can be predicted by participants' use of information relating to the eyes/eyebrows and the mouth of the target stimuli. What is the likelihood of such features being captured, in detail, in a witness's description and then being sufficiently replicated in the selected fillers to avoid a suspect who possesses these features standing out?…”