Cognitive and neural markers of super-recognisers’ face processing superiority and enhanced cross-age effect

Super-recognisers inhabit the extreme high end of an adult face processing ability spectrum in the population. While almost all research in this area has evaluated those with poor or mid-range abilities, evaluating whether super-recognisers’ superiority generates distinct electrophysiological brain activity, and transcends to different age group faces (i.e., children’s) is important for enhancing theoretical understanding of normal and impaired face processing. It may also be crucial for policing, as super-recognisers may be deployed to operations involving child identification and protection. In Experiment 1, super-recognisers (n = 315) outperformed controls (n = 499) at adult and infant face recognition, while also displaying larger cross-age effects. These findings were replicated in Experiment 2 (super-recognisers, n = 19; controls, n = 28), although one SR with frequent infant exposure showed no cross-age effect. Compared to controls, super-recognisers also generated significantly greater electrophysiological activity in event-related potentials associated with pictorial processing (P1) and explicit recognition (P600). Experiment 3, employing an upright and inverted sequential matching design found super-recognisers (n = 24) outperformed controls (n = 20) at adult and infant face matching, but showed no upright cross-age matching effects. Instead, they displayed larger inversion effects, and cross-age inversion effects, implicating the role of holistic processing in their perceptual superiority. Larger cross-age effects in recognition, but not matching suggests that super-recognisers’ adult face recognition is partly driven by experience. However, their enhanced infant face recognition suggest super-recognisers’ superiority is also experience-independent, results that have implications for policing and for models of face recognition

Super-recognisers: face recognition performance after variable delay intervals

Outstanding long‐term face recognition of suspects is a hallmark of the exceptionally skilled police ‘super‐recognisers’ (SRs). Yet, research investigating SR's memory for faces mainly employed brief retention intervals. Therefore, in Experiment 1, 597 participants (121 SRs) viewed 10 target videos and attempted identification of targets from 10 target‐present line‐ups after 1–56 days. In Experiment 2, 1,421 participants (301 SRs) viewed 20 target videos, and after a baseline of no delay to 28 days,—10 target‐present and 10 target‐absent line‐ups, to assess correct line‐up rejections. Overall, delay positively correlated with hits but not with correct rejections. Most, but not all SRs, made more correct identifications and correct rejections than controls at all retention intervals, demonstrating that many SRs possess enhanced long‐term face memory. This research adds to the knowledge of SR's skillsets, and enhances the case for the selection of SRs to identity critical roles—particularly policing

A neuroscientific and cognitive examination of individual differences in face recognition ability

There are large individual differences in face processing ability, with Super-Recognisers (SRs) being exceptionally superior to individuals with average face recognition ability. This thesis describes seven experiments examining SRs’ cognitive performance as well as neural/electrical activity in order to explore potential quantitative and qualitative contributions to their face processing superiority. Chapter 4 examined whether SRs rely on holistic and parts-based processing to the same extent as controls, and whether their face recognition superiority can be observed at the face perception stage as well. SRs outperformed controls at face recognition and face matching, inverted face recognition, object recognition and feature matching. SRs also demonstrated normal (Part-Whole Effect), greater (Inversion Effect), or reduced (Composite Face Effect) holistic processing, implying a more effective use of holistic and parts-based processing. Chapter 5 explored whether SRs’ face processing superiority transcends to faces they have less experience with (infant faces), and whether this Other Age Effect could be observed on a neural/electrical level. SRs outperformed controls on adult and infant faces despite limited experience with the latter. Furthermore, EEG analysis indicated enhanced P1 (pictorial processing) and P600 (explicit recognition) in SRs during face recognition, suggesting they may benefit from a more effective pictorial processing of faces. Chapter 6 employed the Remember/Know paradigm with EEG recording to explore SRs’ recollection and familiarity of faces and objects. SRs’ recognition was often accompanied by contextual information, suggesting they remembered more than just the stimuli’s identity. Furthermore, SRs’ visual recognition was reflected in neural/electrical activity in central and right brain sites, while controls only demonstrated central site activation. Applicability of this thesis’ findings, as well as the design’s limitations and new potential directions for future research are discussed in the final chapter

The part-whole effect in super-recognisers and typical-range-ability controls

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 significant 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

The part-whole effect in super-recognisers and typical-range-ability controls

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

Assessing the long-term face memory of highly superior and typical-ability short-term face recognisers

Outstanding long-term unfamiliar face recognition ability is the hallmark of the exceptionally skilled ‘super-recognisers’. Indeed, international police super-recogniser units rely on members identifying unfamiliar suspects from CCTV after substantial delays. Yet, virtually all research has employed brief retention intervals to evaluate super-recognisers’ capabilities. To address this gap in the literature, in Experiment 1, participants (n = 597), including 84 super-recognisers, viewed 10 60s target-actor videos and identified targets from 10 target-present line-ups after random delays of 1, 7, 14, 28, or 56 days. In Experiment 2, participants (n = 1421), including 206 super-recognisers, viewed 20 30s target-actor videos and identified targets from 10 target-present and 10 target-absent line-ups after delays of virtually none, 1, 7, and 28 days. Correct target-present identifications, and with smaller effect sizes, correct target-absent line-up rejections were predicted by short-term face memory and matching test scores, and decision confidence. Delay also predicted correct target-present identifications but not correct rejections. With higher confidence, most super-recognisers (82.5%) individually exceeded overall control mean hit rate accuracy. However, only a minority of comparisons were significant (28.5%). The important applied implication was the demonstration that not all super-recognisers can sustain their skills over longer retention intervals. Therefore, recruitment to super-recogniser research groups, or roles in policing or security require longer-term face memory tests. Important theoretically was the finding that super-recogniser’s estimated forgetting curve was shallower than that of controls, implying that their enhanced mnemonic system for faces allows representations in memory to be more reliably sustained for far longer

Low prevalence match and mismatch detection in simultaneous face matching: Influence of face recognition ability and feature focus guidance

Simultaneous face matching to verify identity is key to security and policing. However, matching is error-prone, particularly when target item prevalence is low. Two experiments examined whether superior face recognition ability and the use of internal or external facial feature guidance scales would reduce low prevalence effects. In Experiment 1, super-recognisers (n = 317) significantly outperformed typical-ability controls (n = 452), while internal feature guidance enhanced accuracy across all prevalence conditions. However, an unexpected effect in controls revealed higher accuracy in low prevalence conditions, probably because no low match or low mismatch prevalence information was provided. In Experiment 2, top-end-of-typical range ability participants (n = 841) were informed of their low prevalence condition and demonstrated the expected low prevalence effects. Findings and implications are discussed

Low prevalence match and mismatch detection in simultaneous face matching: Influence of face recognition ability and feature focus guidance

Simultaneous face matching to verify identity is key to security and policing. However, matching is error-prone, particularly when target-item prevalence is low. Two experiments examined whether superior face recognition ability and the use of internal or external facial feature guidance scales would reduce low prevalence effects. In Experiment 1, super-recognisers (n = 317) significantly outperformed typical-ability controls (n = 452), while internal feature guidance enhanced accuracy across all prevalence conditions. However, an unexpected effect in controls revealed higher accuracy in low prevalence conditions, probably because no low-match or low-mismatch prevalence information was provided. In Experiment 2, top-end-of-typical range ability participants (n = 841) were informed of their low prevalence condition and demonstrated the expected low-prevalence effects. Findings and implications are discussed

Comparative introduction study of

The article presents the results of a comparative introduction study and cultivar evaluation of 7 of common lilac cultivars in the collections of three botanical gardens (the Nikita Botanical Gardens, the Central Siberian Botanical Garden and the Donetsk Botanical Garden) located in zones with conditionally subtropical, temperate continental and continental climate. It is established that the cultivars retain their decorative features in the conditions of introduction and show ecological plasticity, increasing their growing season with an increase in the vegetation period, as well as reducing the area of the leaf blade with a decrease in the average annual precipitation