title: Age-related differences in processing face configuration: the importance of the eye region.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent research suggests that older adults have difficulties with aspects of configural face processing. The present study examined whether age-related declines in sensitivity to configural face information are dependent on the face region in which configural changes occur.
  
  
  METHODS
  Younger and older adults completed a face-matching task that required the detection of configural manipulations to either the eye or the mouth regions of target faces.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age-related declines in the ability to detect configural changes were found when the eye region of the face was modified. Importantly, no age-related differences were evident when perceiving similar changes to the mouth region.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together, these findings suggest that age-related differences in sensitivity to configural information are specific to the eye region of the face. The potential implications of these findings for age-related difficulties in interpreting social cues from the eyes are discussed.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland AB24 2UB. g.slessor@abdn.ac.uk
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Slessor
authors.forename: Deborah M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Riby
authors.forename: Ailbhe N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Finnerty
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005123:Eye; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D055815:Young Adult