[Face recognition in preschool children: effects of familiarity, facial expression and angle of view].
The purpose of this study was to investigate the face recognition processes in preschool children. Two experiments were carried out to examine the effects, on face recognition, of familiarity, facial expression and angle of view of faces as well as changes or no changes in facial expression and/or angle of view occurring between the first presentation and the subsequent recognition test. The subjects were 188 five- and six-year old children. In Experiments 1 and 2, half of the faces were highly familiar to the subjects, and the remaining half unfamiliar to them. In Experiment 1, the facial expressions (e.g., smiling or serious) were either changed or unchanged. In Experiment 2, the facial expressions or angles of view (e.g., full-face views or three-quarter views of faces) were either changed or unchanged. The major findings were that the familiar faces and the smiling faces were recognized more correctly than the unfamiliar faces and the serious faces respectively. The results were discussed in terms of 'identity-specific semantic codes' and 'visually-derived semantic codes'.
Oyama
M
M
Department of Child Psychology, Faculty of Education, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima.
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005145:Face; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D014796:Visual Perception