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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 261-272 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Psychological Science |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Early online date | 17 Dec 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2019 |
Bibliographical note
This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details.Keywords
- EEG
- event-related potentials
- face recognition
- N250
- personal familiarity
- sustained-familiarity effect
