Integrating cues in face perception

• Main Author: Conway, Claire Anne
• Published: University of Aberdeen 2008
• Subjects: 150.724
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.495029

While previous studies of face perception have focused mainly on the understanding of the processing of individual face cues, such as gaze direction, emotional expressions or physical attractiveness, some more recent studies suggest that these different cues are integrated in face processing.  The findings from the first four experimental Chapters in this thesis present further evidence for complex interactions among different invariant physical cues and changeable social cues when processing faces.  Importantly, these studies also demonstrate sources of systematic variation that modulate the manner in which this integration occurs (e.g., effects of changes in women’s progesterone levels, or differences among individuals high and low in anxiety).  The final experiment Chapter reports a series of experiments showing that rapid transient pupil constrictions to faces are sensitive to parameters such as the species and orientation of face.  These latter findings reveal transient pupil constrictions as a useful non-invasive and involuntary measure of face processing.  Collectively, the findings reported in this thesis demonstrate that cues to the direction and valence of others’ social interest, in addition to physical cues to attractiveness, are integrated when processing faces, highlighting the complexity and sophistication of the integrative processes that underpin face perception.