Memory for lateral asymmetries in well-known faces: Evidence for configural information in memory representations of Faces

Abstract

Two Experiments Were Carried Out To Determine Whether Configural Information About The Left-Right Organization Of A Face Is Represented In Memory. In Experiment 1, Subjects Consistently Chose Normal (Correct) Photographs as Better Likenesses of Familiar Faces than Mirror-Reversed photographs. This Effect Was Stronger For More Familiar Faces, and Did Not Depend On the Presence of Asymmetric Hairstyles Or Single, Asymmetrically Located Features (E.G., Moles, Warts). In Experiment 2, Subjects Were Asked To Decide Which of the Left and Right Composite Faces Was a Better Likeness of the Person. The Left Composite Is Normally Considered a Better Likeness In Perceptual Matching Tasks Where The Normal Photograph Is Present. Left Composites Were Regarded As Better Likenesses than Right Composites, Despite the Fact That This Bias Appeared To Compete With One in Favor of the More Realistic of the two Composites. The Results of Experiments 1 And 2 Suggest That Configural Information About The Left-Right Organization Of Faces Is Represented In Memory. The Right Hemiface Of A Familiar Face Was Considered More Expressive Than The Left Hemiface. This Is Opposite To The Normal Result for Unfamiliar Faces. The Implications of the Results For Models Of Face Representations and for Future Research Directions Are Discussed. © 1986 Psychonomic Society, Inc.