Evidence for view-invariant face recognition units in unfamiliar face learning.
Many models of face recognition incorporate the idea of a face recognition unit (FRU), an abstracted representation formed from each experience of a face which aids recognition under novel viewing conditions. Some previous studies have failed to find evidence of this FRU representation. Here, we report three experiments which investigated this theoretical construct by modifying the face learning procedure from that in previous work. During learning, one or two views of previously unfamiliar faces were shown to participants in a serial matching task. Later, participants attempted to recognize both seen and novel views of the learned faces (recognition phase). Experiment 1 tested participants' recognition of a novel view, a day after learning. Experiment 2 was identical, but tested participants on the same day as learning. Experiment 3 repeated Experiment 1, but tested participants on a novel view that was outside the rotation of those views learned. Results revealed a significant advantage, across all experiments, for recognizing a novel view when two views had been learned compared to single view learning. The observed view invariance supports the notion that an FRU representation is established during multi-view face learning under particular learning conditions.
a Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, School of Psychology , University of Kent , Canterbury , UK.
David B
DB
Etchells
a Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, School of Psychology , University of Kent , Canterbury , UK.
Joseph L
JL
Brooks
a Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, School of Psychology , University of Kent , Canterbury , UK.
Robert A
RA
Johnston
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009640:Norethindrone; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
D004338:Drug Combinations; C020416:norethindrone acetate, ethinyl estradiol, ferrous fumarate drug combination; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol; D009640:Norethindrone
Face learning; Face recognition; Face recognition unit; Pictorial and structural encoding; View invariance