title: Feature-based face representations and image reconstruction from behavioral and neural data.
abstract: The reconstruction of images from neural data can provide a unique window into the content of human perceptual representations. Although recent efforts have established the viability of this enterprise using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) patterns, these efforts have relied on a variety of prespecified image features. Here, we take on the twofold task of deriving features directly from empirical data and of using these features for facial image reconstruction. First, we use a method akin to reverse correlation to derive visual features from functional MRI patterns elicited by a large set of homogeneous face exemplars. Then, we combine these features to reconstruct novel face images from the corresponding neural patterns. This approach allows us to estimate collections of features associated with different cortical areas as well as to successfully match image reconstructions to corresponding face exemplars. Furthermore, we establish the robustness and the utility of this approach by reconstructing images from patterns of behavioral data. From a theoretical perspective, the current results provide key insights into the nature of high-level visual representations, and from a practical perspective, these findings make possible a broad range of image-reconstruction applications via a straightforward methodological approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology at Scarborough, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada; behrmann@cmu.edu anestor@utsc.utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nestor
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Plaut
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890 behrmann@cmu.edu anestor@utsc.utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Behrmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001519:Behavior; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D000066499:Facial Recognition; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated
keywords: face space; image reconstruction; reverse correlation