Recent data demonstrate a perceptual processing advantage for adult faces in both adults and young children, suggesting that face representation is shaped by visual experience accumulated with different face-age groups. As for species and race, this age bias may emerge during the first year of life as part of the general process of perceptual narrowing, given the extensive amount of social and perceptual experience accumulated with caregivers and/or other adult individuals. Using infant-controlled habituation and visual-paired comparison at test, two experiments were carried out to examine 3- and 9-month-olds' ability to discriminate within adult and infant faces. Results showed that, when they are provided with adequate time to visually compare the stimuli during test trials (Experiment 2), 3-month-olds exhibit above-chance discrimination of adult and infant faces. Instead, 9-month-olds discriminate adult faces but not infant faces (Experiments 1 and 2). Results provide the first evidence of age-related face processing biases in infancy, and show that by 9 months face representations tune to adult human faces. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

MACCHI CASSIA, V., Bulf, H., Quadrelli, E., Proietti, V. (2014). Age-related face processing bias in infancy: Evidence of perceptual narrowing for adult faces. DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, 56(2), 238-248 [10.1002/dev.21191].

Age-related face processing bias in infancy: Evidence of perceptual narrowing for adult faces

MACCHI CASSIA, VIOLA MARINA;BULF, HERMANN SERGIO;QUADRELLI, ERMANNO;PROIETTI, VALENTINA MARIA
2014

Abstract

Recent data demonstrate a perceptual processing advantage for adult faces in both adults and young children, suggesting that face representation is shaped by visual experience accumulated with different face-age groups. As for species and race, this age bias may emerge during the first year of life as part of the general process of perceptual narrowing, given the extensive amount of social and perceptual experience accumulated with caregivers and/or other adult individuals. Using infant-controlled habituation and visual-paired comparison at test, two experiments were carried out to examine 3- and 9-month-olds' ability to discriminate within adult and infant faces. Results showed that, when they are provided with adequate time to visually compare the stimuli during test trials (Experiment 2), 3-month-olds exhibit above-chance discrimination of adult and infant faces. Instead, 9-month-olds discriminate adult faces but not infant faces (Experiments 1 and 2). Results provide the first evidence of age-related face processing biases in infancy, and show that by 9 months face representations tune to adult human faces. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
Face discrimination, age bias, perceptual narrowing, adult faces, infancy
English
2014
56
2
238
248
none
MACCHI CASSIA, V., Bulf, H., Quadrelli, E., Proietti, V. (2014). Age-related face processing bias in infancy: Evidence of perceptual narrowing for adult faces. DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, 56(2), 238-248 [10.1002/dev.21191].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/47819
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