Abstract
Prominent face processing models suggest that the right occipital face area (rOFA) processes facial feature information, though several studies suggest that rOFA may play a role in holistic face processing. We sought to test the role of the rOFA in holistic by using the classic part-whole paradigm. In particular, we tested the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) concurrently with a delayed-matched-to-sample version of the part/whole paradigm. Participants studied a whole face for 1-sec (the target) and were required to match it from memory after a brief (1-sec) delay to one of 2 exemplars at probe (a match to the target, and a non-match). During whole trials, the non-match whole face included selective featural modifications (eyes or nose or mouth). During part trials, the probe stimuli included isolated features (either eyes or nose or mouth). To assess holistic and featural face processing within the right occipital face area (rOFA), 10Hz rTMS was delivered for 300ms prior to the encoding period of the target. We used the right middle temporal area (rMT) as a control region, an area not specialized in face processing. Additionally, we had baseline blocks where TMS was not delivered. During the session the order of the rOFA, rMT, and baseline blocks were interleaved and counterbalanced. Our results show that compared to baseline and rMT, rTMS applied to the rOFA prior to target presentation decreased the holistic advantage. This pattern cannot be explained by speed-accuracy tradeoff. These results suggest that rOFA is implicated in holistic face processing.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2018