Effects of Information Type and Location on Face Processing in Children’s Development

Abstract

Abstract: The goal of the current study was to investigate the effects of information type and location on face perception in children aged beween 7～17 years old. Participants were administered the face dimensions task, in which featural and configural information were parametrically and independently manipulated in the eye and mouth region. Participants were asked to judge whether simultaneously presented faces were the “same” or “different”. The main finding was that with the increase of age, the ability of face processing improved continuously, and 13-to 14-year-old children showed the best performance. Children showed a better ability to process featural information than configural information, and the differences to process eye region and mouth region appeared from 11-to 12-year-old. In addition, the results indicated that the type of face information (featural vs. configural) and its location (eye vs. mouth) jointly contributed to the face perception. Children showed no difference in their ability to discriminate differences in mouth size and nose and mouth spacing, but they showed a better ability to discriminate in eye size than eye spacing.

Key words: face processing, children, featural-configural processing, location of face information, type of face information

摘要： 采用多维面孔任务（face dimensions task）探讨了信息类型和位置对7～17岁儿童面孔加工的作用。该任务通过改变面孔的类型信息（特征和结构）和位置信息（眼部和嘴部），要求儿童对同时呈现的面孔图片进行“相同”或“不同”的判断。研究发现，儿童面孔加工水平随年龄提高，13～14岁表现最好；对面孔特征的加工好于结构加工，而眼部和嘴部的加工差异从11～12岁开始出现；类型信息和位置信息共同作用于面孔加工，表现为儿童在嘴部的特征和结构加工上未出现显著差异，但眼部的特征加工显著好于眼部的结构加工。

关键词: 面孔加工, 儿童, 特征-结构加工, 位置信息, 类型信息

CLC Number:

B842

HE Huizhong, ZHANG Yunxiang. Effects of Information Type and Location on Face Processing in Children’s Development[J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2020, 18(6): 741-748.

贺荟中, 张云翔. 信息类型和位置对儿童不同时期面孔加工的作用[J]. 心理与行为研究, 2020, 18(6): 741-748.

References

郭建伟, 胡凤培, 苏晓华, 王笃明, 王曦, 葛列众. (2010). 整体加工方式下面孔结构与特征关系. 心理学报, 42(3), 352-359
王哲, 葛列众, 袁中庆. (2010). 5岁儿童对熟悉面孔的特征信息识别. 心理科学, 33(1), 122-125
张凯丽, 张琴, 周静, 王沛. (2017). 面孔识别过程中多重社会亚范畴的交互作用. 心理科学进展, 25(11), 1955-1963
Bhatt, R. S., Bertin, E., Hayden, A., & Reed, A. (2005). Face processing in infancy: Developmental changes in the use of different kinds of relational information. Child Development, 76(1), 169-181, doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00837.x.
Bukach, C. M., Le Grand, R., Kaiser, M. D., Bub, D. N., & Tanaka, J. W. (2008). Preservation of mouth region processing in two cases of prosopagnosia. Journal of Neuropsychology, 2(1), 227-244, doi: 10.1348/174866407X231010.
Carbon, C. C. (2011). The first 100 milliseconds of a face: On the microgenesis of early face processing. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 113(3), 859-874, doi: 10.2466/07.17.22.PMS.113.6.859-874.
Carey, S., & Diamond, R. (1977). From piecemeal to configurational representation of faces. Science, 195(4275), 312-314, doi: 10.1126/science.831281.
Denkinger, B., & Kinn, M. (2018). Own-age bias and positivity effects in facial recognition. Experimental Aging Research, 44(5), 411-426, doi: 10.1080/0361073X.2018.1521493.
Elsabbagh, M., Bedford, R., Senju, A., Charman, T., Pickles, A., Johnson, M. H., & BASIS Team. (2014). What you see is what you get: Contextual modulation of face scanning in typical and atypical development. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 9(4), 538-543, doi: 10.1093/scan/nst012.
Falck-Ytter, T., Fernell, E., Gillberg, C., & von Hofsten, C. (2010). Face scanning distinguishes social from communication impairments in autism. Developmental Science, 13(6), 864-875, doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2009.00942.x.
Ge, L. Z., Anzures, G., Wang, Z., Kelly, D. J., Pascalis, O., Quinn, P. C., .. Lee, K. (2008). An inner face advantage in children’s recognition of familiar peers. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 101(2), 124-136, doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2008.05.006.
Hay, D. C., & Cox, R. (2000). Developmental changes in the recognition of faces and facial features. Infant and Child Development, 9(4), 199-212.
He, H. Z., Xu, B. Y., & Tanaka, J. (2016). Investigating the face inversion effect in a deaf population using the dimensions tasks. Visual Cognition, 24(3), 201-211, doi: 10.1080/13506285.2016.1221488.
Hills, P. J. (2018). Children process the self face using configural and featural encoding: Evidence from eye tracking. Cognitive Development, 48, 82-93, doi: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2018.07.002.
Itier, R. J., & Batty, M. (2009). Neural bases of eye and gaze processing: The core of social cognition. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 33(6), 843-863, doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.02.004.
Johnson, M. H., Dziurawiec, S., Ellis, H., & Morton, J. (1991). Newborns’ preferential tracking of face-like stimuli and its subsequent decline. Cognition, 40(1-2), 1-19, doi: 10.1016/0010-0277(91)90045-6.
Kelly, D. J., Liu, S. Y., Rodger, H., Miellet, S., Ge, L. Z., & Caldara, R. (2011). Developing cultural differences in face processing. Developmental Science, 14(5), 1176-1184, doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2011.01067.x.
Lawrence, K., Bernstein, D., Pearson, R., Mandy, W., Campbell, R., & Skuse, D. (2008). Changing abilities in recognition of unfamiliar face photographs through childhood and adolescence: Performance on a test of non-verbal immediate memory (Warrington RMF) from 6 to 16 years. Journal of Neuropsychology, 2(1), 27-45, doi: 10.1348/174866407X231074.
Liu, S. Y., Anzures, G., Ge, L. Z., Quinn, P. C., Pascalis, O., Slater, A. M., .. Lee, K. (2013). Development of recognition of face parts from unfamiliar faces. Infant and Child Development, 22(2), 165-179, doi: 10.1002/icd.1781.
Mondloch, C. J., Dobson, K. S., Parsons, J., & Maurer, D. (2004). Why 8-year-olds cannot tell the difference between Steve Martin and Paul Newman: Factors contributing to the slow development of sensitivity to the spacing of facial features. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 89(2), 159-181, doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2004.07.002.
Mondloch, C. J., Le Grand, R., & Maurer, D. (2002). Configural face processing develops more slowly than featural face processing. Perception, 31(5), 553-566, doi: 10.1068/p3339.
Oakes, L. M., & Ellis, A. E. (2013). An eye-tracking investigation of developmental changes in infants’ exploration of upright and inverted human faces. Infancy, 18(1), 134-148, doi: 10.1111/j.1532-7078.2011.00107.x.
Peters, J. C., Vlamings, P., & Kemner, C. (2013). Neural processing of high and low spatial frequency information in faces changes across development: Qualitative changes in face processing during adolescence. European Journal of Neuroscience, 37(9), 1448-1457, doi: 10.1111/ejn.12172.
Quinn, P. C., & Tanaka, J. W. (2009). Infants’ processing of featural and configural information in the upper and lower halves of the face. Infancy, 14(4), 474-487, doi: 10.1080/15250000902994248.
Senju, A., Vernetti, A., Kikuchi, Y., Akechi, H., & Hasegawa, T. (2013). Cultural modulation of face and gaze scanning in young children. PLoS One, 8(8), e74017, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074017.
Tanaka, J. W., Quim, P. C., Xu, B. Y., Maynard, K., Huxtable, N., Lee, K., & Pascalis, O. (2014). The effects of information type (features vs. configuration) and location (eyes vs. mouth) on the development of face perception. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 124, 36-49, doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2014.01.001.
Taylor, M. J., Edmonds, G. E., McCarthy, G., & Allison, T. (2001). Eyes first! Eye processing develops before face processing in children. Neuroreport, 12(8), 1671-1676, doi: 10.1097/00001756-200106130-00031.
Tenenbaum, E. J., Shah, R. J., Sobel, D. M., Malle, B. F., & Morgan, J. L. (2013). Increased focus on the mouth among infants in the first year of life: A longitudinal eye-tracking study. Infancy, 18(4), 534-553, doi: 10.1111/j.1532-7078.2012.00135.x.
Wang, Z., Quinn, P. C., Tanaka, J. W., Yu, X. Y., Sun, Y. H. P., Liu, J. G., .. Lee, K. (2015). An other-race effect for configural and featural processing of faces: Upper and lower face regions play different roles. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 559.
Wheeler, A., Anzures, G., Quinn, P. C., Pascalis, O., Omrin, D. S., & Lee, K. (2011). Caucasian infants scan own- and other-race faces differently. PLoS One, 6(4), e18621, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018621.
Wiese, H., Komes, J., & Schweinberger, S. R. (2013). Ageing faces in ageing minds: A review on the own-age bias in face recognition. Visual Cognition, 21(9-10), 1337-1363, doi: 10.1080/13506285.2013.823139.
Wolf, J. M., Tanaka, J. W., Klaiman, C., Cockburn, J., Herlihy, L., Brown, C., .. Schultz, R. T. (2008). Specific impairment of face-processing abilities in children with autism spectrum disorder using the Let’s Face It! Skills Battery. Autism Research, 1(6), 329-340, doi: 10.1002/aur.56.

[1]	JIN Hua, YAN Shizhen, SHAN Jinlei, LIU Ting. The Time Course of the Perception of Animacy: Evidence from ERP [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(5): 577-584.
[2]	JIANG Yingying, MA Li, ZHANG Lijin, ZHU Liqi. A Serial Mediation Model Between Number of Children and Life Satisfaction of Chinese Mothers of Childbearing Age [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(5): 651-656.
[3]	ZHAO Jinxia, GONG Xuxia. The Relationship Between Mother-Child Attachment and Rural Children’s Anxiety: The Moderating Role of HPA Activity [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(5): 665-671.
[4]	YU Yibing, YU Jiawei, LI Yanru, DU Yizhan. Cross-Lagged Analysis of Perceived Family Support, Friend Support and Depressive Symptoms Among Children Left-Behind in Rural Areas [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(4): 472-478.
[5]	TAN Deqin, XIE Ruibo, DING Wan, WU Wei, SONG Shengcheng, LI Weijian. The Influence of Parent-Child Attachment and Teacher-Student Relationship on Left-Behind Children’s Internalizing Problems: The Mediating Role of Peer Attachment [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(3): 339-345.
[6]	LI Xiaomei, JIANG Yingjie, YU Mingyang, YUAN Yuan, LIU Fangfang. Left-Behind Children’s Psychological Maltreatment and Aggressive Behavior: Chain Mediating Effect of Resilience and Interpersonal Sensitivity [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(3): 353-360.
[7]	YU Tengxu, LIU Wen, LIU Fang. The Relationship Between Psychological Maltreatment and Children’s Anhedonia: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Reappraisal [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(3): 361-367.
[8]	ZHAO Siyi, LI Ying, WANG Yue. The Metaphorical Association Between Valence and Space Influences Emotional Word Learning in Adults and Children [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(2): 153-159.
[9]	SUN Yunrui, HAN Yinghong, LYU Yong, LIU Fang. The Influence of Personality on Children’s White Lie Behavior: The Parallel Mediating Effect of “Cold” and “Hot” Executive Functions [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(2): 240-247.
[10]	LU Fang, FU Shuying. The Development of Rural Children’s Social Development Questionnaire [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(2): 248-254.
[11]	BAI Huihui, WANG Yuqing, SUN Wanjing. The Resilience Status of Left-Behind Children: A Meta-Analysis [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(2): 261-267.
[12]	YUAN Bo, LIAO Suxia, GUO Qiaoqiao, GAO Qiyang, CHEN Siyu. Social Mindfulness of Migrant Children and Its Promotion [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(2): 268-273.
[13]	LI Qiming, WANG Jiting. The Relationship Between Family Atmosphere Children’s Life Satisfaction and Intergenerational Transmission of Mental Health: The Difference of Parent-Child Gender and Children Age [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(2): 282-288.
[14]	ZHANG Huan, ZUO Tianran, JIANG Wei, PEI Lingru, WU Xia. The Influence of Teachers’ Descriptions in Dialogue on Children’s Language Comprehension [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(1): 59-64.
[15]	ZENG Siyao, WANG Zhenhong. Revision of the Chinese Version of the Highly Sensitive Child Scale-Parent Report [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(1): 101-107.