Social context modulates face recognition in young and intermediate age adults

Jana Wanli; Cassandra Dover; Fatima M. Felisberti; Rebecca Cox

Social context modulates face recognition in young and intermediate age adults

Jana Wanli, Cassandra Dover, Fatima M. Felisberti, Rebecca Cox

Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review

Abstract

The efficient recognition of potential cooperators and cheaters is at the core of social exchanges. We have shown that face recognition can be modulated by the social context (Felisberti & Pavey, 2010, PLOS One), but possible effects related to aging are not known. In this study behavioural descriptors were tagged to faces during encoding. The three descriptors in a scenario involving money exchanges contained no moral values (cheating, cooperation or neutral behaviours were implicit). Participants (N= 250) had to answer if they had seen the faces before (ÔÇùyes/no' task). Results from three experiments showed an increase in false alarm rates and reaction time with age. Hit rates and sensitivity to faces of cooperators were higher than for cheaters in both young (18-29 yo) and intermediate age adults (30-59 yo) adults, but not in seniors (>60 yo), while reaction time was faster for cooperators than cheaters in all age groups. There was an age-invariant contextual bias towards faces of cooperators, while the recognition of cheaters improved with age. This effect might be due to higher exposure to cheaters in the longer lifespan of seniors and/or their use of a slower and more effortful decision processing.

Original language	English
Publication status	Published - 3 Jan 2013
Event	Experimental Psychology Society London Meeting - London, U.K. Duration: 3 Jan 2013 → 4 Jan 2013

Conference

Conference	Experimental Psychology Society London Meeting
Period	3/01/13 → 4/01/13

Bibliographical note

Organising Body: Experimental Psychology Society

Keywords

Psychology

Cite this

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title = "Social context modulates face recognition in young and intermediate age adults",

abstract = "The efficient recognition of potential cooperators and cheaters is at the core of social exchanges. We have shown that face recognition can be modulated by the social context (Felisberti \& Pavey, 2010, PLOS One), but possible effects related to aging are not known. In this study behavioural descriptors were tagged to faces during encoding. The three descriptors in a scenario involving money exchanges contained no moral values (cheating, cooperation or neutral behaviours were implicit). Participants (N= 250) had to answer if they had seen the faces before ({\^O}{\c C}{\`u}yes/no' task). Results from three experiments showed an increase in false alarm rates and reaction time with age. Hit rates and sensitivity to faces of cooperators were higher than for cheaters in both young (18-29 yo) and intermediate age adults (30-59 yo) adults, but not in seniors (>60 yo), while reaction time was faster for cooperators than cheaters in all age groups. There was an age-invariant contextual bias towards faces of cooperators, while the recognition of cheaters improved with age. This effect might be due to higher exposure to cheaters in the longer lifespan of seniors and/or their use of a slower and more effortful decision processing.",

keywords = "Psychology",

author = "Jana Wanli and Cassandra Dover and Felisberti, \{Fatima M.\} and Rebecca Cox",

note = "Organising Body: Experimental Psychology Society; Experimental Psychology Society London Meeting ; Conference date: 03-01-2013 Through 04-01-2013",

year = "2013",

month = jan,

day = "3",

language = "English",

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TY - CONF

T1 - Social context modulates face recognition in young and intermediate age adults

AU - Wanli, Jana

AU - Dover, Cassandra

AU - Felisberti, Fatima M.

AU - Cox, Rebecca

N1 - Organising Body: Experimental Psychology Society

PY - 2013/1/3

Y1 - 2013/1/3

N2 - The efficient recognition of potential cooperators and cheaters is at the core of social exchanges. We have shown that face recognition can be modulated by the social context (Felisberti & Pavey, 2010, PLOS One), but possible effects related to aging are not known. In this study behavioural descriptors were tagged to faces during encoding. The three descriptors in a scenario involving money exchanges contained no moral values (cheating, cooperation or neutral behaviours were implicit). Participants (N= 250) had to answer if they had seen the faces before (ÔÇùyes/no' task). Results from three experiments showed an increase in false alarm rates and reaction time with age. Hit rates and sensitivity to faces of cooperators were higher than for cheaters in both young (18-29 yo) and intermediate age adults (30-59 yo) adults, but not in seniors (>60 yo), while reaction time was faster for cooperators than cheaters in all age groups. There was an age-invariant contextual bias towards faces of cooperators, while the recognition of cheaters improved with age. This effect might be due to higher exposure to cheaters in the longer lifespan of seniors and/or their use of a slower and more effortful decision processing.

AB - The efficient recognition of potential cooperators and cheaters is at the core of social exchanges. We have shown that face recognition can be modulated by the social context (Felisberti & Pavey, 2010, PLOS One), but possible effects related to aging are not known. In this study behavioural descriptors were tagged to faces during encoding. The three descriptors in a scenario involving money exchanges contained no moral values (cheating, cooperation or neutral behaviours were implicit). Participants (N= 250) had to answer if they had seen the faces before (ÔÇùyes/no' task). Results from three experiments showed an increase in false alarm rates and reaction time with age. Hit rates and sensitivity to faces of cooperators were higher than for cheaters in both young (18-29 yo) and intermediate age adults (30-59 yo) adults, but not in seniors (>60 yo), while reaction time was faster for cooperators than cheaters in all age groups. There was an age-invariant contextual bias towards faces of cooperators, while the recognition of cheaters improved with age. This effect might be due to higher exposure to cheaters in the longer lifespan of seniors and/or their use of a slower and more effortful decision processing.

KW - Psychology

M3 - Poster

T2 - Experimental Psychology Society London Meeting

Y2 - 3 January 2013 through 4 January 2013

ER -