Abstract
The flicker paradigm was used to investigate the nature of attentional biases and their potential effect on change blindness in a series of face-only arrays. In particular, we examined the effects of “Sex of Face”, and of Participant (Male and Female face changes on Male or Female participants, Ex Post Facto) and “Face Type” (cropped, with no hair present and uncropped with hair intact) on the detection of change. Faces were independently rated on a series of characteristics for consistency. Participants completed 60 flicker trials, one quarter of which were no-change controls. In each experimental trial, one of the six faces alternated with another of the same sex until participants detected the change. Analysis showed that participants required fewer flickers to detect changes in full than cropped faces of both sexes (p p = 0.037), with participants viewing more flickers on female cropped than female full faces (p = 0.03). For male faces, Face Type did not affect the number of flickers needed (p = 0.76). Change detection was unrelated to participant sex, contrary to the own-sex biases observed in the face recognition literature. Results support claims that hair and facial outlines contribute heavily to face recognition and that their absence impairs change detection.
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and Department of Defense Awards to Stimulate and Support Undergraduate Research Experiences (ASSURE) Programs. NSF Grant SES-0552876 to Edward L. DeLosh.