Familiar Face Recognition: Robustness Overview

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Questions and Answers

How does within-person variability affect task accuracy during extended periods?

Within-person variability reduces accuracy primarily when participants engage in a demanding task for an extended period of 1 hour.

What contextual factors can impair recognition of familiar faces?

Recognition can be impaired when familiar faces are seen unexpectedly in unusual settings.

Explain the first stage of the Bruce and Young model of face recognition.

The first stage, structural encoding, involves both view-centered and abstract structural codes for facial information.

What did Young et al. (1986) conclude about the processing of familiar faces?

They found that participants recognized familiar faces faster than they could identify semantic information about the individuals. Signup and view all the answers

How do super-recognisers demonstrate the limits of familiar face recognition?

Super-recognisers showcase extraordinary face recognition abilities, performing exceptionally well even in challenging conditions. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes prosopagnosia and its subtypes?

Prosopagnosia is characterized by an impairment in face recognition, with congenital and acquired subtypes indicating different origins. Signup and view all the answers

Contrast the abilities of super-recognisers and individuals with prosopagnosia.

Super-recognisers exhibit exceptional face recognition skills, while those with prosopagnosia struggle significantly with identifying faces. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Bruce and Young model suggest about the processing of familiar faces?

The model outlines a step-by-step process emphasizing the roles of the Fusiform Face Area and distinct processing stages for recognition. Signup and view all the answers

What implications do individual differences in face recognition have for research?

Individual differences, such as the presence of super-recognisers and prosopagnosics, suggest the need for further research into the cognitive and neural mechanisms involved. Signup and view all the answers

Summarize the overall conclusion regarding familiar face recognition.

Familiar face recognition is generally robust, supported by cognitive mechanisms, but it also shows significant variability among individuals. Signup and view all the answers

What is familiar face recognition and why is it considered robust?

Familiar face recognition is the ability to accurately recognize faces encountered previously, considered robust due to specialized cognitive mechanisms. Signup and view all the answers

How did the University of Glasgow study contribute to our understanding of familiar face recognition?

The University of Glasgow study found a 95% accuracy rate in familiar face recognition from low-quality CCTV images. Signup and view all the answers

What role do internal and external features play in familiar face recognition?

Familiar face recognition relies more on internal features such as eyes and mouth than on external features like hairline or jaw. Signup and view all the answers

What is within-person variability and how does it affect familiar face recognition?

Within-person variability refers to changes in a person's appearance due to factors like aging and lighting, which can challenge face recognition accuracy. Signup and view all the answers

How does the Bruce and Young model contribute to the understanding of face recognition?

The Bruce and Young model serves as a framework for understanding the robustness and mechanisms behind face recognition. Signup and view all the answers

What findings did Jenkins & Kerr (2013) present regarding familiar face recognition accuracy?

Jenkins & Kerr (2013) found that familiar face recognition accuracy from eye reflections achieved 84%. Signup and view all the answers

Why is external feature variability a concern for face recognition models?

External features are more susceptible to variability, which poses challenges for recognition models that typically assume stable features. Signup and view all the answers

In what ways can the accuracy of familiar face recognition decrease during demanding tasks?

The accuracy of familiar face recognition may decrease under demanding tasks with more significant variations or challenges in context. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Familiar Face Recognition: Robustness and Limitations

Familiar face recognition (FFR) is the high-accuracy ability to recognize previously encountered faces.

Robustness of FFR

FFR demonstrates strong resilience in various conditions:
- Poor Image Quality: Studies show high accuracy (95-97%) even from low-resolution CCTV footage and multiple angles/photos.
- Corneal Reflections: Recognition accuracy remains high (84%) using eye reflections.
- Pixelation/Distortion: Recognition is robust even with pixelation or distortions of images (e.g., warped celebrity images).
Within-Person Variability: FFR is still remarkably accurate despite differences in a person's appearance due to aging, head direction, lighting, or camera angles (93% accuracy).
- While internal features (eyes, nose, mouth) are prioritized, external features (hairline, jaw) are more susceptible to this variability.
- Traditional models of face recognition, assuming consistent facial features, are challenged by this variability.

Limitations of FFR

Context: FFR accuracy can decrease in unfamiliar or unexpected contexts.
- Recognition rates are lower when encountering a familiar person in an unusual setting or unexpected circumstance (e.g., surprise lecturer test).
Demanding Tasks: Accuracy declines when the task is demanding and prolonged (1-hour testing period).

Bruce and Young Model Explained

This model explains face recognition stages:
- Stage 1 (Structural Encoding): Encoding facial structure through viewpoint-based descriptions and consistent facial attributes.
- Stage 2 (FRU Activation): Activation of face recognition units.
- Stage 3 (PIN Activation): Activation of person identity nodes for semantic information (specific details about the person).
The model suggests that familiar face recognition is faster than retrieving associated information.

Individual Variability

Super-Recognizers: These individuals demonstrate exceptional face recognition abilities (scoring significantly above average).
- Used in law enforcement and security.
- Their abilities highlight the upper limits of FFR robustness.
Prosopagnosia: A condition hindering face recognition (developmental or acquired).
- Symptoms include difficulty and errors in recognizing familiar faces.
- Highlights the variability and fragility of FFR in some individuals.
This highlights a broad spectrum of FFR abilities, not always consistent across individuals.

Conclusion

FFR is robust, relying on specialized cognitive mechanisms, but prone to limitations from within-person variability and contextual factors, showing significant individual variability.

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Description

Explore the robustness and limitations of familiar face recognition (FFR). This quiz delves into FFR's high accuracy in various challenging conditions such as poor image quality, corneal reflections, and pixelation. Test your knowledge on how FFR can still perform well despite within-person variability and external feature changes.