The role of verbal processing in face recognition memory

This dissertation attempts to provide a comprehensive view of the role of verbal processing in face recognition memory by examining some of the neglected issues in two streams of cognitive research, face recognition and verbal overshadowing. Traditionally, research in face recognition focuses on visual and semantic aspects of familiar and unfamiliar face processing, with little acknowledgement of any verbal aspect. By contrast, the verbal overshadowing literature examines the effect of verbal retrieval of unfamiliar face memory on subsequent recognition, with little attention to actual mechanisms underlying processing of these faces. Although both are concerned with our ability to recognise faces, they have proceeded independently as their research focus is diverse. It therefore remains uncertain whether or not face encoding entails verbal processing, and whether or not verbal processing is always detrimental to face recognition. To address these issues, some experimental techniques used in face recognition research were combined with methods from verbal overshadowing research. The first strand of experiments examined configural-visual and featural-verbal processing associations in change recognition tasks. The second strand systematically examined the role of verbal processing in recognition memory by manipulating the degree of verbal involvement during and after encoding. The third strand examined the ‘perceptual expertise’ account of verbal overshadowing in picture recognition memory tasks, involving pictures of familiar and unfamiliar people. The fourth strand directly tested a tentative hypothesis ‘verbal code interference’ to explain verbal overshadowing by manipulating the frequency and time of face verbalisation in line-up identification tasks. The concluding experiment looked at the relation between intentional learning and verbal overshadowing in a recognition memory task using more naturalistic stimuli. The main findings indicate first, that mechanisms underlying face processing appear to be complex, and simple processing associations (configural-visual and featural-verbal processing) cannot be made. Second, face encoding seems to involve some sort of verbal processing which may actually be necessary for successful recognition. Third, post-encoding verbalisation per se does not seem to be the key determiner for recognition impairment. Rather, the interference between verbal representations formed under different contexts seems to harm recognition. Fourth, verbal overshadowing was found only for unfamiliar face picture recognition, but not for familiar face picture recognition, casting a doubt on ‘perceptual expertise account’. Finally, although no clear evidence linking intentional learning and verbal overshadowing was found, intentional learning and verbalisation in combination affected a response pattern. These results were discussed in relation to ongoing debate over causes of the verbal overshadowing effect, which raises an important ecological question as to whether the phenomenon might reflect natural human memory interference

Development of holistic vs. featural processing in face recognition

According to a classic view developed by Carey and Diamond (1977), young children process faces in a piecemeal fashion before adult-like holistic processing starts to emerge at the age of around 10 years. This is known as the encoding switch hypothesis . Since then,a growing body of studies have challenged the theory. This article will provide a critical appraisal of this literature, followed by an analysis of some more recent developments. We will conclude, quite contrary to the classical view, that holistic processing is not only present in early child development, but could even precede the development of part-based processing

Developmental differences in holistic interference of facial part recognition.

Research has shown that adults' recognition of a facial part can be disrupted if the part is learnt without a face context but tested in a whole face. This has been interpreted as the holistic interference effect. The present study investigated whether children of 6- and 9-10-year-olds would show a similar effect. Participants were asked to judge whether a probe part was the same as or different from a test part whereby the part was presented either in isolation or in a whole face. The results showed that while all the groups were susceptible to a holistic interference, the youngest group was most severely affected. Contrary to the view that piecemeal processing precedes holistic processing in the cognitive development, our findings demonstrate that holistic processing is already present at 6 years of age. It is the ability to inhibit the influence of holistic information on piecemeal processing that seems to require a longer period of development into at an older and adult age

Means and standard deviations for <i>A′</i> (sensitivity), proportions of hits and false alarms (FA), and <i>B′′D</i> (bias) as a function of condition and group.

<p><i>Note:</i> For the <i>A</i> prime measure large values indicate a greater ability to discriminate between probe and test items. For <i>B′′D,</i> values above 0 indicate a conservative bias and values 0 below indicate a liberal bias.</p

Example images: a) isolated eyes; b) original intact faces; c) composite faces, with the eyes placed in another face.

<p>Images in this figure are used for illustrative purposes only. They are not the original stimuli, but are morphed images to protect the identity of the children.</p

Recognition performance (<i>A′</i>) as a function of condition and age group.

<p>Error bars represent standard error.</p

Independent influences of verbalization and race on the configural and featural processing of faces: a behavioral and eye movement study

Describing a face in words can either hinder or help subsequent face recognition. Here, the authors examined the relationship between the benefit from verbally describing a series of faces and the same-race advantage (SRA) whereby people are better at recognizing unfamiliar faces from their own race as compared with those from other races. Verbalization and the SRA influenced face recognition independently, as evident on both behavioral (Experiment 1) and eye movement measures (Experiment 2). The findings indicate that verbalization and the SRA each recruit different types of configural processing, with verbalization modulating face learning and the SRA modulating both face learning and recognition. Eye movement patterns demonstrated greater feature sampling for describing as compared with not describing faces and for other-race as compared with same-race faces. In both cases, sampling of the eyes, nose, and mouth played a major role in performance. The findings support a single process account whereby verbalization can influence perceptual processing in a flexible and yet fundamental way through shifting one's processing orientation

Mean criterion results in Experiment 1 (Values in parentheses represent standard deviations).

<p>Mean criterion results in Experiment 1 (Values in parentheses represent standard deviations).</p