Recognition of facial features in immediate memory

Abstract

This study sought to determine which facial features are best retained in a recognition test of immediate memory. Following a 30-sec viewing of an entire face in either a front or profile orientation, subjects were tested for feature recognition of the eyes, nose, or mouth in either the same or different orientation. Results showed (1) performance was significantly above chance in each condition, (2) feature selection was superior when study and test orientations were the same, (3) there were differences among the individual features when the study and test orientations were the same, but no differences when the orientations differed, and (4) when the study and test orientations were the same, the eyes and mouth were recognized better than the nose. These data provide converging evidence on the relative importance of the eyes and mouth for facial recognition. © 1978, The Psychonmic Society, Inc.. All rights reserved.