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An examination of the processing capacity of features in the Thatcher illusion

An examination of the processing capacity of features in the Thatcher illusion
An examination of the processing capacity of features in the Thatcher illusion
Detection of the Thatcher illusion (Thompson, Perception, 9:483–484, 1980) is widely upheld as being dependent on configural processing (e.g., Bartlett & Searcy, Cognitive Psychology, 25:281–316, 1993; Boutsen, Humphreys, Praamstra, & Warbrick, NeuroImage, 32:352–367, 2006; Donnelly & Hadwin, Visual Cognition, 10:1001–1017, 2003; Leder & Bruce, Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 53A:513–536, 2000; Lewis, Perception, 30:769–774, 2001; Maurer, Grand, & Mondloch, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 6:255–260, 2002; Stürzel & Spillmann, Perception, 29:937–942, 2000). Given that supercapacity processing accompanies configural processing (see Wenger & Townsend, 2001), supercapacity processing should occur in the processing of Thatcherised upright faces. The purpose of this study was to test for evidence that the grotesqueness of upright Thatcherised faces results from supercapacity processing. Two tasks were employed: categorisation of a single face as odd or normal, and a same/different task for sequentially presented faces. The stimuli were typical faces, partially Thatcherised faces (either eyes or mouth inverted) and fully Thatcherised faces. All of the faces were presented upright. The data from both experiments were analysed using mean response times and a number of capacity measures (capacity coefficient, the Miller and Grice inequalities, and the proportional-hazards ratio). The results of both experiments demonstrated some evidence of a redundancy gain for the redundant-target condition over the single-target condition, especially in the response times in Experiment 1. However, there was very limited evidence, in either experiment, that the redundancy gains resulted from supercapacity processing. We concluded that the oddity signalled by inversion of eyes and mouths does not arise from positive interdependencies between these features.
face perception, response time models
1943-3921
1475-1487
Donnelly, Nick
05c83b6b-ee8d-4c9d-85dc-c5dcd6b5427b
Cornes, Katherine
fc4947d9-b3e9-4e08-b15a-80af5550f9eb
Menneer, Tamaryn
d684eaf6-1494-4004-9973-cb8ccc628efa
Donnelly, Nick
05c83b6b-ee8d-4c9d-85dc-c5dcd6b5427b
Cornes, Katherine
fc4947d9-b3e9-4e08-b15a-80af5550f9eb
Menneer, Tamaryn
d684eaf6-1494-4004-9973-cb8ccc628efa

Donnelly, Nick, Cornes, Katherine and Menneer, Tamaryn (2012) An examination of the processing capacity of features in the Thatcher illusion. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 74 (7), 1475-1487. (doi:10.3758/s13414-012-0330-z). (PMID:22707354)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Detection of the Thatcher illusion (Thompson, Perception, 9:483–484, 1980) is widely upheld as being dependent on configural processing (e.g., Bartlett & Searcy, Cognitive Psychology, 25:281–316, 1993; Boutsen, Humphreys, Praamstra, & Warbrick, NeuroImage, 32:352–367, 2006; Donnelly & Hadwin, Visual Cognition, 10:1001–1017, 2003; Leder & Bruce, Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 53A:513–536, 2000; Lewis, Perception, 30:769–774, 2001; Maurer, Grand, & Mondloch, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 6:255–260, 2002; Stürzel & Spillmann, Perception, 29:937–942, 2000). Given that supercapacity processing accompanies configural processing (see Wenger & Townsend, 2001), supercapacity processing should occur in the processing of Thatcherised upright faces. The purpose of this study was to test for evidence that the grotesqueness of upright Thatcherised faces results from supercapacity processing. Two tasks were employed: categorisation of a single face as odd or normal, and a same/different task for sequentially presented faces. The stimuli were typical faces, partially Thatcherised faces (either eyes or mouth inverted) and fully Thatcherised faces. All of the faces were presented upright. The data from both experiments were analysed using mean response times and a number of capacity measures (capacity coefficient, the Miller and Grice inequalities, and the proportional-hazards ratio). The results of both experiments demonstrated some evidence of a redundancy gain for the redundant-target condition over the single-target condition, especially in the response times in Experiment 1. However, there was very limited evidence, in either experiment, that the redundancy gains resulted from supercapacity processing. We concluded that the oddity signalled by inversion of eyes and mouths does not arise from positive interdependencies between these features.

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Published date: October 2012
Keywords: face perception, response time models

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Local EPrints ID: 339139
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/339139
ISSN: 1943-3921
PURE UUID: 1591d329-7932-4e48-a2d0-6aeda31389b8

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Date deposited: 24 May 2012 10:53
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 11:10

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Contributors

Author: Nick Donnelly
Author: Katherine Cornes
Author: Tamaryn Menneer

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