The development of spatial frequency biases in face recognition

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Leonard, Hayley C.; Karmiloff-Smith, Annette and Johnson, Mark H.. 2010. The development of spatial frequency biases in face recognition. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 106(4), pp. 193-207. ISSN 0022-0965 [Article]

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2010.03.005

Abstract or Description

Previous research has suggested that a mid-band of spatial frequencies is critical to face recognition in adults, but few studies have explored the development of this bias in children. We present a paradigm adapted from the adult literature to test spatial frequency biases throughout development. Faces were presented on a screen with particular spatial frequencies blocked out by noise masks. A mid-band bias was found in adults and 9- and 10-year-olds for upright faces but not for inverted faces, suggesting a face-sensitive effect. However, 7- and 8-year-olds did not demonstrate the mid-band bias for upright faces but rather processed upright and inverted faces similarly. This suggests that specialization toward the mid-band for upright face recognition develops gradually during childhood and may relate to an advanced level of face expertise.

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Article

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2010.03.005