Priming and Habituation for Faces: Individual Differences and Inversion Effects

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Priming and Habituation for Faces: Individual Differences and Inversion Effects Journal of Experimental Psychology: © 2010 American Psychological Association Human Perception and Performance 0096-1523/10/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0018737 2010, Vol. 36, No. 3, 596–618 Priming and Habituation for Faces: Individual Differences and Inversion Effects Cory A. Rieth and David E. Huber University of California, San Diego Immediate repetition priming for faces was examined across a range of prime durations in a threshold identification task. Similar to word repetition priming results, short duration face primes produced positive priming whereas long duration face primes eliminated or reversed this effect. A habituation model of such priming effects predicted that the speed of identification should relate to the prime duration needed to achieve negative priming. We used face priming to test this prediction in two ways. First, we examined the relationship between priming effects and individual differences in the target duration needed for threshold performance. Second, we compared priming of upright and inverted faces. As predicted, the transition from positive to negative priming as a function of prime duration occurred more slowly for inverted faces and for individuals with longer threshold target durations. Additional experi- ments ruled out alternative explanations. Keywords: face perception, short-term priming, individual differences, habituation Searching for a face in a crowd is a seemingly easy task. other tasks and stimuli. To explore the generality of this account, However, to complete this task, we must identify the subtle dif- we examined face identification because it is a type of perceptual ferences between different faces while generalizing face recogni- expertise that is thought to differ from word reading in a variety of tion across variations in image size, orientation, hairstyle, lighting, ways. Beyond generalization to a new stimulus class, face identi- and other more salient perceptual dimensions. Because a crowd is fication allowed us to test a key prediction of this account. Because in constant motion, and because we generally wish to find a identification is the driving force behind habituation, situations desired face quickly, not much time is afforded to consider each that allow faster identification should also produce faster habitu- face. Nonetheless, some minimum duration is needed to integrate ation and thus faster prime discounting. In the reported experi- sufficient information for identification. The constant integration ments we tested this prediction in two ways. First, we compared of perceptual input over time implies the possibility that we may individuals who could identify a target face with short exposure incorrectly blend together one face and the next as our eyes scan durations to those who needed a longer duration. Second, we across positions, or as the crowd moves. However, we do not compared upright and inverted faces because inverted faces are suffer greatly from such source confusion between successive more difficult to recognize. For both of these tests, we examined faces. To explain this and other results involving the effects of immediate face repetition priming to assess temporal discounting. successively presented stimuli, we suggest that the perceptual To motivate Experiment 1, which examined individual differ- system includes a discounting mechanism that appropriately re- ences in face habituation as indicated by priming, we next (1) duces the response to a previously presented face, and this reduc- present the a theory of temporal segregation through habituation; tion serves to offset the effect of source confusion. (2) review previous work with word priming based on average Huber and O’Reilly (2003) proposed that neural habituation is performance; (3) present a reanalysis of individual differences the basic mechanism behind temporal discounting, which automat- with word priming, which failed to confirm the predicted individ- ically parses the stream of perceptual events. This theory was ual differences; and (4) review previous word on habituation with developed to explain priming effects with words, and the model faces. correctly predicted a variety of lexical effects as well as electro- physiological recordings when viewing words. Because habitua- tion is a general mechanism, similar effects should exist with many Temporal Segregation Through Habituation The integration of information over time while avoiding tem- poral source confusion is a general problem in perception and Cory A. Rieth and David E. Huber, Department of Psychology, University these effects are likely to exist beyond the domains of face per- of California, San Diego. ception and word priming. Our perceptual system effortlessly This research was supported by NIMH Grants MH63993-01, MH063993- separates the constant stream of input into discrete objects and 04, and by NSF IGERT Grant DGE-0333451 to GW Cottrell/VR de Sa. The authors would like to thank Jim Tanaka for his generosity in allowing for the events. Nonetheless, this temporal segregation is not trivial, re- use of his real face stimuli. quiring neither too little nor too much integration in calculating Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Cory A. both where and when one object begins and another ends. Tem- Rieth, Department of Psychology, 0109, 9500 Gilman Drive, University of poral integration allows the perceptual system to appropriately California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0109. E-mail: [email protected] combine different features contained within a single object, such as 596 PRIMING AND HABITUATION FOR FACES 597 when an object is partially blocked by a moving occluder. How- both in magnitude and duration (i.e., habituation follows on the ever, too much integration can inappropriately blend perception of heels of identification). a previous object with a subsequent object (e.g., combining Ernie’s This hypothesis predicts a specific relationship between the eyes with Bert’s nose). This problem of temporal segregation speed of identification and the speed of habituation. For instance, cannot be solved with fixed discrete timing intervals considering individuals who identify a class of object more quickly (i.e., that each stimulus in each situation may necessitate a different individuals who have greater perceptual expertise) should produce time scale for proper temporal segregation. Instead, we suggest priming data indicative of greater habituation. As reported below that there is a constant interplay between the process of integrating in a reanalysis of Experiment 1 from Huber (2008b), this predic- the current percept and the process of discounting percepts that tion was not confirmed for threshold identification of words. were previously identified. Before presenting this reanalysis, we review results using this Mechanisms that reduce inappropriate perceptual blending particular priming paradigm with words. while maintaining appropriate perceptual binding have been pro- posed both at the cognitive level, such as in Treisman’s feature Habituation Effects With Immediate Word Priming integration theory (Treisman & Gelade, 1980) or Biedermann’s GEON theory (Hummel & Biederman, 1992), as well as at the Immediate word priming has been used for more than 30 years neural level, such as with Singer’s synchrony theory (Singer, to measure various aspects of language (e.g., Meyer & Schvan- 1999) or Grossberg’s adaptive resonance theory (Carpenter & eveldt, 1971). However, in our work, we use word priming to Grossberg, 2003). To bridge these levels of description, we have investigate the basic mechanisms behind perceptual identification addressed the problem of temporal segregation by proposing in- and lexical retrieval—mechanisms that may well generalize to terrelated models in terms of optimal Bayesian ‘explaining away’ other stimuli and other tasks. Priming is traditionally measured (Huber, Shiffrin, Lyle, & Ruys, 2001; Huber, 2008a) as well as with speed of lexical decision, speed of naming, or accuracy in the with a specific neural account in the form of habituation through form of threshold identification. For threshold identification, the synaptic depression (Huber & O’Reilly, 2003). In line with David task is usually to name the briefly flashed word (e.g., Meyer, Marr’s levels of explanation (Marr, 1982), we seek to find a Schvanevedlt, & Ruddy, 1975), although forced-choice testing mapping between the computational “why” and the implementa- provides a variant of threshold identification that allows separate tional “how” of perceptual segregation through discounting. measurement of the costs and benefits of priming (e.g., Ratcliff & For word priming, perceptual discounting through neural habit- McKoon, 1997) by comparing conditions that prime the correct uation has been examined both with behavioral measures as well answer (the target primed condition) versus conditions that prime as with neural measures. Behaviorally, repetition word priming the incorrect answer (the foil primed condition). Huber et al. was found to produce a gradual transition from positive priming (2001) adopted this paradigm for the study of immediate priming (more accurate identification of primed targets) to negative prim- effects as a function of the duration and degree of processing for ing1 (less accurate identification of primed targets) as a function of primes (see Figure 1 for the equivalent paradigm using faces). increasing prime duration (Huber, 2008b; Huber, Shiffrin, Lyle, & With this paradigm, short duration primes produced
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