Abstract
Face identification is reliable for viewers who are familiar with the face, and unreliable for viewers who are not. One account of this contrast is that people become good at recognising a face by learning its configuration-the specific pattern of feature-to-feature measurements. In practice, these measurements differ across photos of the same face because objects appear more flat or convex depending on their distance from the camera. Here we connect this optical understanding to face configuration and identification accuracy. Changing camera-to-subject distance (0.32m versus 2.70m) impaired perceptual matching of unfamiliar faces, even though the images were presented at the same size. Familiar face matching was accurate across conditions. Reinstating valid distance cues mitigated the performance cost, suggesting that perceptual constancy compensates for distance-related changes in optical face shape. Acknowledging these distance effects could reduce identification errors in applied settings such as passport control.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 97-104 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Cognition |
| Volume | 165 |
| Early online date | 17 May 2017 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2017 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Camera-to-subject distance affects face configuration and perceived identity. / Noyes, Eilidh; Jenkins, Rob.
In: Cognition, Vol. 165, 08.2017, p. 97-104.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Camera-to-subject distance affects face configuration and perceived identity
AU - Noyes, Eilidh
AU - Jenkins, Rob
N1 - Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2017/8
Y1 - 2017/8
N2 - Face identification is reliable for viewers who are familiar with the face, and unreliable for viewers who are not. One account of this contrast is that people become good at recognising a face by learning its configuration-the specific pattern of feature-to-feature measurements. In practice, these measurements differ across photos of the same face because objects appear more flat or convex depending on their distance from the camera. Here we connect this optical understanding to face configuration and identification accuracy. Changing camera-to-subject distance (0.32m versus 2.70m) impaired perceptual matching of unfamiliar faces, even though the images were presented at the same size. Familiar face matching was accurate across conditions. Reinstating valid distance cues mitigated the performance cost, suggesting that perceptual constancy compensates for distance-related changes in optical face shape. Acknowledging these distance effects could reduce identification errors in applied settings such as passport control.
AB - Face identification is reliable for viewers who are familiar with the face, and unreliable for viewers who are not. One account of this contrast is that people become good at recognising a face by learning its configuration-the specific pattern of feature-to-feature measurements. In practice, these measurements differ across photos of the same face because objects appear more flat or convex depending on their distance from the camera. Here we connect this optical understanding to face configuration and identification accuracy. Changing camera-to-subject distance (0.32m versus 2.70m) impaired perceptual matching of unfamiliar faces, even though the images were presented at the same size. Familiar face matching was accurate across conditions. Reinstating valid distance cues mitigated the performance cost, suggesting that perceptual constancy compensates for distance-related changes in optical face shape. Acknowledging these distance effects could reduce identification errors in applied settings such as passport control.
KW - Adolescent
KW - Adult
KW - Cues
KW - Facial Recognition
KW - Female
KW - Humans
KW - Male
KW - Photic Stimulation
KW - Recognition (Psychology)
KW - Young Adult
U2 - 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.05.012
DO - 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.05.012
M3 - Article
VL - 165
SP - 97
EP - 104
JO - Cognition
JF - Cognition
SN - 0010-0277
ER -