TY - JOUR
T1 - Person knowledge shapes face identity perception
AU - Oh, Dong Won
AU - Walker, Mirella
AU - Freeman, Jonathan B.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Ian Ferguson, Loris Jeitziner, Yanzi Huang, Roshni Lulla, and Inshil Paik for their assistance. This work was supported in part by National Science Foundtation research grant BCS-1654731 (J.B.F.).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - Recognition of others' identity through facial features is essential in life. Using both correlational and experimental approaches, we examined how person knowledge biases the perception of others' facial identity. When a participant believed any two individuals were more similar in personality, their faces were perceived to be correspondingly more similar (assessed via mousetracking, Study 1). Further, participants' facial representations of target individuals that were believed to have a more similar personality were found to have a greater physical resemblance (assessed via reverse-correlation, Studies 2 and 3). Finally, when participants learned about novel individuals who had a more similar personality, their faces were visually represented more similarly (Study 4). Together, the findings show that the perception of facial identity is driven not only by facial features but also the person knowledge we have learned about others, biasing it toward alternate identities despite the fact that those identities lack any physical resemblance.
AB - Recognition of others' identity through facial features is essential in life. Using both correlational and experimental approaches, we examined how person knowledge biases the perception of others' facial identity. When a participant believed any two individuals were more similar in personality, their faces were perceived to be correspondingly more similar (assessed via mousetracking, Study 1). Further, participants' facial representations of target individuals that were believed to have a more similar personality were found to have a greater physical resemblance (assessed via reverse-correlation, Studies 2 and 3). Finally, when participants learned about novel individuals who had a more similar personality, their faces were visually represented more similarly (Study 4). Together, the findings show that the perception of facial identity is driven not only by facial features but also the person knowledge we have learned about others, biasing it toward alternate identities despite the fact that those identities lack any physical resemblance.
KW - Face processing
KW - Mouse tracking
KW - Person perception
KW - Reverse correlation
KW - Semantic memory
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U2 - 10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104889
DO - 10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104889
M3 - Article
C2 - 34464913
AN - SCOPUS:85113757828
VL - 217
JO - Cognition
JF - Cognition
SN - 0010-0277
M1 - 104889
ER -