ABSTRACT

Humans can readily and effortlessly learn new faces encountered in the social environment. As a face transitions from unfamiliar to familiar, the ability to generalize across different images of the same person increases substantially. Fast periodic visual stimulation and EEG (FPVS-EEG) was used to isolate identity-specific responses that generalize across different images of the same person from low-level visual processing and face-general processes that aren’t identity-specific. We observed these signals emerge and increase in magnitude as a group of strangers became lab mates (N=9). The neural response to an unfamiliar identity that remained unfamiliar did not change. Comparison of the response to the newly familiarised face to a highly overlearned face (the own-face) showed that this identity-specific signal was modulated by level of familiarity. The study presents the first examination of identity-specific processing changes as they occur in situ from normal, everyday face experience.

摘要

人类可以轻松、轻松地学习在社会环境中遇到的新面孔。随着一张脸从陌生到熟悉，对同一个人的不同图像进行概括的能力大大增加。快速周期性视觉刺激和脑电图 (FPVS-EEG) 用于将同一人的不同图像中概括的身份特异性反应与非身份特异性的低级视觉处理和面部一般过程分离。我们观察到这些信号随着一群陌生人成为实验室伙伴（N=9）。对陌生身份的神经反应并没有改变。对新熟悉的面孔的反应与高度过度学习的面孔（自己的面孔）的比较表明，这种特定于身份的信号受熟悉程度的调节。该研究首次检查了身份特定的处理变化，因为它们从正常的日常面部体验中原位发生。