An EEG Study On Featural And Configural Information Processing In Face Recognition

Face recognition is an essential and important function in dayly life. Some issues in face recognition, such as the way in which face information is represented, the roles of featural and configural information playing in face recognition and their corresponding neural mechanism, have been extensively studied but still controversial. In the present study, with spatial-frequency filtering technique, the ERP properties of featural and configural information processing in face recognition were investigated by manipulating featural or configural information under high pass or low pass condition.This study included two experiments. In the first experiment, featural information was varied by exchanging eyes, and ERP components elicited by such variation under high pass or low pass condition were explored. In the second experiment, by varying the distance between two eyes, the ERP components elicited by configural information under high pass or low pass condition were explored.The following conclusions could be drawn from our experiments:(1) At the parieto-central lobe, frontal lobe and parieto-temporal lobe, face images elicit vertex positive potential (VPP) which is peaking at 150~220ms. The brain areas of N170 show individual differences. N170 of most subjects is elicited on P8.(2) N170 reflects both of the featural and configural information processing.(3) VPP reflects the processing of featural information. It is also related to the extraction of the second order-related information which is contained in configural information.(4) Within 400~450ms time window, the ERP difference waves (ERPs elicited by face with eyes exchange minus ERPs elicited by primary face) are mainly related with configural information processing, while ERP difference waves (ERPs elicited by face with eyes closer minus ERPs elicited by primary face) are related with configural and featural information processing. Featural information processing is reflected in ERP difference waves within all 400~600ms time windows.