Effects of exposure to facial expression variation in face learning and recognition

Liu, Chang Hong; Chen, Wenfeng; Ward, James

Abstract

Facial expression is a major source of image variation in face images. Linking numerous expressions to the same face can be a huge challenge for face learning and recognition. It remains largely unknown what level of exposure to this image variation is critical for expression-invariant face recognition. We examined this issue in a recognition memory task, where the number of facial expressions of each face being exposed during a training session was manipulated. Faces were either trained with multiple expressions or a single expression, and they were later tested in either the same or different expressions. We found that recognition performance after learning three emotional expressions had no improvement over learning a single emotional expression (Experiments 1 and 2). However, learning three emotional expressions improved recognition compared to learning a single neutral expression (Experiment 3). These findings reveal both the limitation and the benefit of multiple exposures to variations of emotional expression in achieving expression-invariant face recognition. The transfer of expression training to a new type of expression is likely to depend on a relatively extensive level of training and a certain degree of variation across the types of expressions.

Citation

Liu, C. H., Chen, W., & Ward, J. (2015). Effects of exposure to facial expression variation in face learning and recognition. Psychological research, 79(6), 1042-1053. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-014-0627-8

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 6, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Nov 15, 2014
• Publication Date: 2015-11
• Deposit Date: May 5, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: May 5, 2016
• Journal: Psychological research
• Print ISSN: 0340-0727
• Electronic ISSN: 1430-2772
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 79
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 1042-1053
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-014-0627-8
• Keywords: Facial expression
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/437739
• Publisher URL: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00426-014-0627-8
• Additional Information: This is a copy of an open access article published in Psychological research, 2014, v.79 issue 6.