Visual memory for people's body shape

in Perception (2007), 36(2), 304

Face Recognition Failures in Schizotypy

in Cognitive Neuropsychiatry (2007), 12(6), 554-71

INTRODUCTION: Studies suggest an important role of disturbances of self in schizophrenia and in schizotypy. Based on findings from a previous study (Bredart & Young, 2004), we developed a questionnaire ... [more ▼]

INTRODUCTION: Studies suggest an important role of disturbances of self in schizophrenia and in schizotypy. Based on findings from a previous study (Bredart & Young, 2004), we developed a questionnaire assessing self-face recognition failures in everyday life (Self-Face Recognition Questionnaire; SFRQ) to investigate the relations between dimensions of schizotypy (cognitive-perceptual, interpersonal, disorganised) and self-face recognition disturbances. METHODS: A sample of nonclinical participants (n = 170) completed the SFRQ and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. RESULTS: Factor analysis of SFRQ items revealed a clear three-factor structure consisting of: (1) self-face recognition difficulties, (2) unusual perception of own or other faces, and (3) other-face recognition difficulties. Correlational analyses between schizotypy dimensions and the SFRQ revealed that only the cognitive-perceptual and disorganised schizotypy dimensions correlated significantly with the SFRQ. By contrast, the interpersonal schizotypy dimension was not associated with the SFRQ. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide further support that positive (cognitive-perceptual) and negative (interpersonal) schizotypy represent discrete neurobehavioural dimensions. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed. [less ▲]

One's Own Face Is Hard to Ignore

in Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006), 59(1), 46-52

One's own face possesses two properties that make it prone to grab attention: It is a face, and, in addition, it is a self-referential stimulus. The question of whether the self-face is actually an ... [more ▼]

One's own face possesses two properties that make it prone to grab attention: It is a face, and, in addition, it is a self-referential stimulus. The question of whether the self-face is actually an especially attention-grabbing stimulus was addressed by using a face-name interference paradigm. We investigated whether interference from a flanking self-face on the processing of a target classmate's name was stronger than interference from a classmate's flanking face on the processing of one's own name as the target. In a control condition a third familiar face served as the flanker for both decisions from the participant's own name and from the classmate's name. The presentation of the self-face as a flanker produced significantly more interference on the identification of a classmate's name than the presentation of that classmate's face did on the identification of one's own name. This result was due to the interfering power of the self-face and not to a particular resistance of one's name to interfering facial stimuli. We argue that the emotional value or the high familiarity of one's own face may explain its attention-grabbing property. [less ▲]

Is one's own face really harder to ignore?

Conference (2006)

The accuracy of memory for faces of personally known individuals

in Perception (2006), 35(1), 101-106

The present study was aimed at evaluating whether the very high accuracy of memory for familiar faces, demonstrated by Ge et al (2003, Perception 32 601-614) with a very familiar famous person ... [more ▼]

The present study was aimed at evaluating whether the very high accuracy of memory for familiar faces, demonstrated by Ge et al (2003, Perception 32 601-614) with a very familiar famous person, generalises to faces of personally known individuals. The accuracy of participants' perceptual memory for a close colleague's face and for their own face was evaluated by presenting original and manipulated pictures of these two targets. The manipulation consisted of increasing or decreasing the interocular distance. As in Ge et al's study, results indicated that proportions of correct recognition of the original faces, and just noticeable differences for the detection of alterations in the recognition task, were not significantly different from the corresponding measures in a perceptual discrimination task performed by a sample of participants who did not know the target persons at all. High accuracy of memory generalises to faces of personally known individuals [less ▲]

The accuracy of perceptual memory for personally known faces

Poster (2005)

Recently, Ge et al. (2003) reported a very high accuracy of memory for a highly familiar face. Their Chinese participants had to identify the most veridical appearance of Mao’s face among unaltered and ... [more ▼]

Recently, Ge et al. (2003) reported a very high accuracy of memory for a highly familiar face. Their Chinese participants had to identify the most veridical appearance of Mao’s face among unaltered and transformed (inter-ocular distance was gradually increased or decreased) versions of his portrait. In the present experiment, the same facial transformations were applied to our participants’ faces to evaluate whether this hyperfidelity for familiar faces is specific to famous individuals whose face is mainly known from a standard portrait or if it could generalise to personally known faces (the own face and a close person’s face). Results showed that performance was not different for the two familiar faces in the recognition task, or between the recognition task and a perceptual discrimination task. The high accuracy of memory previously shown for a very famous face generalises to personally known individuals for whom we have a various visual experience. [less ▲]

The implication of the right frontal cortex in self recognition

Conference (2005)

Vieillissement, qualité de l’encodage et faux souvenirs.

in Taconnat, Laurence; Vanneste, Sandrine; Clarys, David (Eds.) et al Manifestations cognitives du vieillissement psychologique. Actes des VIIème Journées d’étude du Vieillissement Cognitif (2005)

The current experiment explored the effect of enhancing the quality of encoding on the creation of false memories in older participants. Three groups of participants (1 group of younger adults and two ... [more ▼]

The current experiment explored the effect of enhancing the quality of encoding on the creation of false memories in older participants. Three groups of participants (1 group of younger adults and two groups of older adults) were presented with a modified version (Brédart, 2000) of the DRM paradigm (Roediger & McDermott, 1995) which permitted to elicit false recall. We used a short interstimuli interval (ISI of 1.5 sec) in the younger and the older control group. A slower rate of presentation was used in the experimental older group (ISI of 3 seconds). The comparison of younger and older controls confirmed a greater susceptibility to false memories in the elderly. In addition, supporting our predictions, when both older groups were compared, lengthening of the ISI led to : a) an improvement of the quality of the encoding, b) an improvement of the source monitoring. These data suggest that the deficits in source monitoring, resulting in the higher sensibility to false memories in older adults, might be related to a differential encoding of the material that would not allow the correct binding of items and their presentation context durant the learning phase. [less ▲]

Self-recognition in everyday life

in Cognitive Neuropsychiatry (2004), 9(3), 183-197

INTRODUCTION: A sample of everyday difficulties was collected, encompassing errors and unusual experiences participants had encountered when recognising their own faces in everyday life, with the aim of ... [more ▼]

INTRODUCTION: A sample of everyday difficulties was collected, encompassing errors and unusual experiences participants had encountered when recognising their own faces in everyday life, with the aim of characterising similarities and differences between the reported difficulties and the major forms of self-recognition impairments described in the neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric literatures (prosopagnosia, mirrored-self misidentification, and Capgras delusion). METHOD: A total of 70 participants recalled experiences from memory. Incidents (n = 51) were recorded on questionnaire sheets that were filled out at home. Reports of three categories of incidents were analysed: misidentifications (the participant misidentified her/his own face as being that of another familiar person; n = 5), recognition failures (the participant judged that his/her own face was that of an unfamiliar person; n = 20) and perception of unusual aspects (the participant confidently recognised his/her own face but found that the seen face did not fit well the representation she/he had of his/her own face; n = 26). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In the reported incidents, experiences showing some similarities to those of patients with prosopagnosia, Capgras delusion or mirrored-self misidentification were noted. However, across the whole study, no incident involved a failure of reality testing; in contrast to pathological forms of error, in all of the reported incidents from our study the participant realised that a mistake had been made. The importance of decision processes in pathological forms of own-face misrecognition is discussed. [less ▲]

Souvenirs récupérés, souvenirs oubliés et faux souvenirs

Book published by Solal (2004)