Belanova, Elena, Davis, Josh P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0017-7159 and Thompson, Trevor ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9880-782X (2021) The part-whole effect in super-recognisers and typical-range-ability controls. Vision Research, 187. pp. 75-84. ISSN 0042-6989 (doi:10.1016/j.visres.2021.06.004)

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Abstract

Face recognition skills are distributed on a continuum, with developmental prosopagnosics and super-recognisers at the bottom and top ends, respectively. Holistic processing propensity is associated with face recognition ability and may be impaired in some developmental prosopagnosics and enhanced in some super-recognisers. Across two experiments we compared holistic processing of 75 super-recognisers and 89 typical-range ability controls using The Part-Whole Effect (PWE) paradigm. A subgroup of super-recognisers demonstrated enhanced PWEs in the nose region, suggesting they integrate the nose into the holistic face percept more effectively than controls. Focussed processing of the nose region, an optimal viewing position to extract the holistic properties of faces, has previously been associated with superior face recognition, and this may partly explain the superiority of some super-recognisers. However, a few super-recognisers generated extreme nose region performance patterns in an opposite direction across both experiments, suggesting their superiority is driven by alternative mechanisms. These results support proposals that super-recognition is associated with heterogeneous underlying processes.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	super-recognisers, Holistic processing, part-whole effect, face recognition, individual differences
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > School of Human Sciences (HUM) Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development > Centre for Thinking and Learning
Last Modified:	02 Jul 2022 01:38
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/33106

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