id_1004. NEURAL CORRELATES OF FAMILIAR FACE RECOGNITION: ARE FACES RECOGNIZED THROUGH A SERIES OF PROCESSING STAGES?
Milena Bojdo1,2, Deni Zakriev1, Maya Schipper1, Maria Ciocan1, Linda H. Lidborg1, Holger Wiese1
1 Durham University, Department of Psychology, South Road, DH1 3LE, Durham, United Kingdom
2 Centre for Brain Research, Jagiellonian University, Kopernika 50, 31-501, Krakow, Poland
INTRODUCTION: We are highly efficient at recognizing familiar people's faces. According to classic face recognition models, this process involves serial activation of (i) perceptual representations, which are then compared to (ii) domain-selective long-term face representations, enabling access to (iii) domain-general person (semantic, episodic, or affective) representations. However, recent research questioned this architecture, specifically the evidence for the separation of perceptual and post-perceptual processing stages.
AIM(S): This study aimed to re-examine the serial model using a newly developed experimental approach, investigating the impact of manipulating the activation of distinct face representations on event-related potential (ERP) responses elicited by highly personally familiar faces compared to unfamiliar faces.
METHOD(S): Experiment 1 manipulated contrast information in familiar and unfamiliar face images to disrupt their perceptual processing. Experiment 2 used cross-domain repetition priming, presenting identity-congruent or identity-incongruent names before familiar or unfamiliar faces to elicit the activation of domain-general person representations.
RESULTS: Experiment 1 found an early effect of contrast negation on the amplitude of the N170 component. In turn, the familiarity effect, with more negative amplitudes elicited by personally familiar relative to unfamiliar faces over occipito-temporal channels, emerged 200ms after stimulus onset. This effect was reduced in contrast-negative conditions. Experiment 2 detected the same familiarity effect between 200 and 300ms. Here, it was enhanced by the presentation of identity-congruent names before familiar faces only in the later 300-400ms time window.
CONCLUSIONS: Together, these findings provide nuanced and renewed support for the classic face recognition models, demonstrating separate processing stages that reflect the serial activation of perceptual (N170), long-term facial (200–300 ms), and domain-general (300–400 ms) representations.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT: The study was conducted as part of Durham University's Master's by Research program.