Faces
- Face perception
- Prosopagnosia
- Affect theories
- Affect recognition
Emotion and Quantification Recap
Face Perception
Where does it happen?
Face perception primarly happens in the fusiform face area (FFA), located in the fusiform gyrus of the brain. This region is specialized for facial recognition and is most active when looking at faces rather than other objects. The debate around the FFA involves whether its activation is due to evolutionary specialization for face perception or if it’s activated because of expertise in recognizing familiar complex objects. Evidence suggests both theories may have merit. Studies have shown that the FFA’s activation can be equally strong for faces and for objects called “greebles” once individuals becom expert at recognizing them. Additionally, individuals with prosopagnosia, a condition characterized by the inability to recognize faces, may have impairments or damage in the FFA, highlighting its role in face recognition. Furthermore, the holistic processing of faces, where faces are processed differently from objects, emphasizes the unique role of the FFA in face perception.
Greebles
Greebles are artificial objects designed for psychological studies on object and face recognition. They have a few parts in a standard configuration, resembling faces to study recognition processes. Initially used in experiments to train participants in greeble recognition, these studies revealed the fusiform face area in the brain responds to greebles similarly to human faces, suggesting an ability to develop expertise in recognizing complex objects or faces.
Think about how sneakers look the same to everyone who is not a collector, but to collectors, the shoes are wildly different.
Prosopagnosia
Face blindness
Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, is a neurological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize faces. People with prosopagnosia have difficulty identifying familiar faces, sometimes including their own in the mirror, although they may be able to use other cues such as clothing, hairstyle, or voice to recognize individuals. This condition can vary in severity, from mild cases where individuals have trouble remembering faces to severe cases where individuals fail to recognize their close family members or friends.
Prosopagnosia can be congenital (present from birth) or acquired due to brain injury, stroke, or certain neurodegenerative diseases. The condition is linked to abnormalities or damage in the fusiform gyrus, a part of the brain’s temporal lobe that plays a key role in face perception.
Despite their diffficulties with face recognition, people with prospagnosia often have normal visual acuity and intelligence. They can learn to adapt to their condition by relying on alternative strategies for identifying people.
Granular Synthesis Model 5, 1997
Large scale of faces in relation to the exhibition
Uncanny
System 1 thinking - processing faces immediately to determine whether they are friendly or aggressive
The Curious Case of Phineas Gage
Railroad worker, one of the most famous neuromedical patients, explosive rod went through his head and took out a big part of his brain.
Damasio & Descartes’ Error
Accident made him rude, unlikeable, etc.
Emotions and decision making are not separated
The expression of emotions in man and animals
Paul Ekman & Quantification of the Face
Facial action coding system
Emotions from facial expressions
”I wanted to be taken seriously and emotion was not a serious topic.” - Dr. Rosalind Pickard
Affective computing (1994)
Affectiva
Real eyes
Neural Decay