title: Ensemble coding of face identity is not independent of the coding of individual identity.
abstract: Information about a group of similar objects can be summarized into a compressed code, known as ensemble coding. Ensemble coding of simple stimuli (e.g., groups of circles) can occur in the absence of detailed exemplar coding, suggesting dissociable processes. Here, we investigate whether a dissociation would still be apparent when coding facial identity, where individual exemplar information is much more important. We examined whether ensemble coding can occur when exemplar coding is difficult, as a result of large sets or short viewing times, or whether the two types of coding are positively associated. We found a positive association, whereby both ensemble and exemplar coding were reduced for larger groups and shorter viewing times. There was no evidence for ensemble coding in the absence of exemplar coding. At longer presentation times, there was an unexpected dissociation, where exemplar coding increased yet ensemble coding decreased, suggesting that robust information about face identity might suppress ensemble coding. Thus, for face identity, we did not find the classic dissociation-of access to ensemble information in the absence of detailed exemplar information-that has been used to support claims of distinct mechanisms for ensemble and exemplar coding.
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and Its Disorders, School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Markus F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and Its Disorders, School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and Its Disorders, School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rhodes
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and Its Disorders, School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Romina
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8678-4592
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Palermo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005145:Face; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Set averaging; crowd; ensemble coding; ensemble representation; face identity