Face perception

Human faces are unique biological structures that convey a complex variety of important social messages. Even strangers can tell things from our faces - our feelings, our locus of attention, something of what we are saying, our age, sex and ethnic group, whether they find us attractive. In recent years there has been genuine progress in understanding how our brains derive all these different messages from faces and what can happen when one or other of the structures involved is damaged. Face Perception provides an up-to-date, integrative summary by two authors who have helped develop and shape the field over the past 30 years. It encompasses topics as diverse as the visual information our brains can exploit when we look at faces, whether prejudicial attitudes can affect how we see faces, and how people with neurodevelopmental disorders see faces. The material is digested and summarised in a way that is accessible to students, within a structure that focuses on the different things we can do with faces. It offers a compelling synthesis of behavioural, neuropsychological and cognitive neuroscience approaches to develop a distinctive point of view of the area. The book concludes by reviewing what is known about the development of face processing and re-examines the question of what makes faces 'special'. Written in a clear and accessible style, this is invaluable reading for all students and researchers interested in studying face perception and social cognition.

The face : organ of communication : The face as a biological structure ; Variations in the human face ; Abnormal faces ; The muscles and expressive movements of the face ; Brain regions involved in visual perception ; Brain regions selectively responsive to faces ; Organisation of face-responsive regions -- The science and methods of face perception research : To err is human: and it can be highly informative ; Unavoidable errors: the effects of brain injury ; The time it takes to do things: reaction times and what they can tell us ; Priming and interference: important and widely used paradigms ; Other sources of information: preferences and adaptation ; Eye movements: where you look, and why it matters ; Understanding and manipulating images: contributions of computer graphics ; Functional and computational models: key types of theory ; Recording what happens in the brain ; The broader picture -- Social categories : The pervasiveness of social categories ; Physical differences between faces: cues to age ; Sex differences between faces ; Racial differences between faces ; Using cues to age, sex and race ; Categorical perception and adaptation effects for physical characteristics ;…