TY - JOUR
T1 - Finding faces among faces
T2 - human faces are located more quickly and accurately than other primate and mammal faces
AU - Simpson, Elizabeth A.
AU - Buchin, Zachary
AU - Werner, Katie
AU - Worrell, Rey
AU - Jakobsen, Krisztina V.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Janet Frick and the research assistants at the University of Georgia for help with stimulus preparation, and the research assistants at James Madison University for testing participants. This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, NICHD P01HD064653-01 (EAS), and by the Alvin V., Jr. and Nancy C. Baird Professorship (KVJ). Portions of this data were presented at the Association for Psychological Science’s 24th Annual Convention.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014, The Psychonomic Society, Inc.
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - We tested the specificity of human face search efficiency by examining whether there is a broad window of detection for various face-like stimuli—human and animal faces—or whether own-species faces receive greater attentional allocation. We assessed the strength of the own-species face detection bias by testing whether human faces are located more efficiently than other animal faces, when presented among various other species’ faces, in heterogeneous 16-, 36-, and 64-item arrays. Across all array sizes, we found that, controlling for distractor type, human faces were located faster and more accurately than primate and mammal faces, and that, controlling for target type, searches were faster when distractors were human faces compared to animal faces, revealing more efficient processing of human faces regardless of their role as targets or distractors (Experiment 1). Critically, these effects remained when searches were for specific species’ faces (human, chimpanzee, otter), ruling out a category-level explanation (Experiment 2). Together, these results suggest that human faces may be processed more efficiently than animal faces, both when task-relevant (targets) and task-irrelevant (distractors), even in direct competition with other faces. These results suggest that there is not a broad window of detection for all face-like patterns but that human adults process own-species’ faces more efficiently than other species’ faces. Such own-species search efficiencies may arise through experience with own-species faces throughout development or may be privileged early in development, due to the evolutionary importance of conspecifics’ faces.
AB - We tested the specificity of human face search efficiency by examining whether there is a broad window of detection for various face-like stimuli—human and animal faces—or whether own-species faces receive greater attentional allocation. We assessed the strength of the own-species face detection bias by testing whether human faces are located more efficiently than other animal faces, when presented among various other species’ faces, in heterogeneous 16-, 36-, and 64-item arrays. Across all array sizes, we found that, controlling for distractor type, human faces were located faster and more accurately than primate and mammal faces, and that, controlling for target type, searches were faster when distractors were human faces compared to animal faces, revealing more efficient processing of human faces regardless of their role as targets or distractors (Experiment 1). Critically, these effects remained when searches were for specific species’ faces (human, chimpanzee, otter), ruling out a category-level explanation (Experiment 2). Together, these results suggest that human faces may be processed more efficiently than animal faces, both when task-relevant (targets) and task-irrelevant (distractors), even in direct competition with other faces. These results suggest that there is not a broad window of detection for all face-like patterns but that human adults process own-species’ faces more efficiently than other species’ faces. Such own-species search efficiencies may arise through experience with own-species faces throughout development or may be privileged early in development, due to the evolutionary importance of conspecifics’ faces.
KW - Animal faces
KW - Face detection
KW - Search efficiency
KW - Visual attention
KW - Visual search
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U2 - 10.3758/s13414-014-0744-x
DO - 10.3758/s13414-014-0744-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 25113852
AN - SCOPUS:84939897640
VL - 76
SP - 2175
EP - 2183
JO - Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics
JF - Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics
SN - 1943-3921
IS - 8
ER -