Limitations in 4-year-old children's sensitivity to the spacing among facial features.
Four-year-olds' sensitivity to differences among faces in the spacing of features was tested under 4 task conditions: judging distinctiveness when the external contour was visible and when it was occluded, simultaneous match-to-sample, and recognizing the face of a friend. In each task, the foil differed only in the spacing of features, and spacing alterations were within normal limits. Children performed at chance levels in all but 1 task-match-to-sample, and in that task, only 10 of 18 children were correct on more than 50% of the trials. Sensitivity to the spacing of facial features in identity and distinctiveness tasks is very weak at 4 years of age-at least when the changes do not exceed +/-2.5 SD of normal variability.
Mondloch
Catherine J
CJ
Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. cmondloch@brocku.ca
Thomson
Kendra
K
D002675:Child, Preschool; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D013028:Space Perception; D014796:Visual Perception