A robust neural index of high face familiarity

Wiese, H; Tüttenberg, Simone C; Ingram, Brandon T; Chan, Chelsea YX; Gurbuz, Zehra; Burton, A Mike; Young, Andy W

doi:10.1177/0956797618813572

A robust neural index of high face familiarity

Wiese, H; Tüttenberg, Simone C; Ingram, Brandon T; Chan, Chelsea YX; Gurbuz, Zehra; Burton, A Mike; Young, Andy W

Authors

Professor Holger Wiese holger.wiese@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Simone C Tüttenberg

Brandon T Ingram

Chelsea YX Chan

Zehra Gurbuz

A Mike Burton

Andy W Young

Contributors

Simone Tuettenberg simone.c.tuettenberg@durham.ac.uk
Other

Abstract

Humans are remarkably accurate at recognizing familiar faces, whereas their ability to recognize, or even match, unfamiliar faces is much poorer. However, previous research has failed to identify neural correlates of this striking behavioral difference. Here, we found a clear difference in brain potentials elicited by highly familiar faces versus unfamiliar faces. This effect starts 200 ms after stimulus onset and reaches its maximum at 400 to 600 ms. This sustained-familiarity effect was substantially larger than previous candidates for a neural familiarity marker and was detected in almost all participants, representing a reliable index of high familiarity. Whereas its scalp distribution was consistent with a generator in the ventral visual pathway, its modulation by repetition and degree of familiarity suggests an integration of affective and visual information.

Citation

Wiese, H., Tüttenberg, S. C., Ingram, B. T., Chan, C. Y., Gurbuz, Z., Burton, A. M., & Young, A. W. (2019). A robust neural index of high face familiarity. Psychological Science, 30(2), 261-272. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797618813572

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Sep 17, 2018
Online Publication Date	Dec 17, 2018
Publication Date	Feb 1, 2019
Deposit Date	Sep 20, 2018
Publicly Available Date	Nov 9, 2018
Journal	Psychological Science
Print ISSN	0956-7976
Electronic ISSN	1467-9280
Publisher	SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	30
Issue	2
Pages	261-272
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797618813572

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Copyright Statement
Wiese, H , Tüttenberg, Simone C, Ingram, Brandon T, Chan, Chelsea YX, Gurbuz, Zehra, Burton, A Mike & Young, Andy W (2019). A robust neural index of high face familiarity. Psychological Science 30(2): 261-272. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.