Processing style and person recognition: Exploring the face inversion effect

Abstract

It has frequently been reported that recognition performance is impaired when faces are presented in an inverted rather than upright orientation, a phenomenon termed the face inversion effect (FIE). Extending previous work on this topic, the current investigation explored whether individual differences in global precedence—the propensity to process nonfacial stimuli in a configural manner—impacts memory for faces. Based on performance on the Navon letter-classification task, two experimental groups were created that differed in relative global precedence (i.e., strong global precedence [SGP] and weak global precedence [WGP]). In a subsequent face-recognition task, results revealed that while both groups demonstrated a reliable FIE, this effect was attenuated among participants displaying WGP. These findings suggest that individual differences in general processing style modulate face recognition.

Keywords:

• Social cognition
• Face processing
• Individual differences
• Person perception
• Face perception

Acknowledgements

We thank Jim Tanaka, Tim Perfect, and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments and advice. During this research, CNM was supported by a Royal Society-Wolfson Fellowship.