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Poster Session A: Tuesday, August 12, 1:30 – 4:30 pm, de Brug & E‑Hall

An Ecological and Objective Neural Marker of Implicit Identity Recognition

Tram T. N. Nguyen¹, Linda Ficco, Ian M. Thornton, Meike Ramon²; ¹University of Malta, ²Université de Lausanne

Presenter: Meike Ramon

We developed a novel paradigm to measure identity recognition implicitly - using Fast Periodic Visual Stimulation (FPVS) with electroencephalography (EEG). Uniquely, we used ecologically valid face images that represent the features characteristic of forensic case material. FPVS EEG data were acquired from a demographically diverse cohort of 16 students and 12 police officers with normal face processing abilities. We measured participants’ neural responses to a 1-Hz tagged oddball identity embedded within a 6-Hz stream of base images, using different types of face stimuli varying in image quality. Evidence of implicit recognition was found with high-quality mugshot, but not CCTV-like images. Our study extends previous research by demonstrating that unfamiliar identities can elicit robust neural signatures of recognition through brief, repeated passive exposure. The sensitivity of our method is valuable for applications where objective validation of face processing ability is crucial, including assessment of law enforcement experts (e.g., facial forensic examiners, Super-Recognizers) and eyewitnesses.

Topic Area: Object Recognition & Visual Attention

Extended Abstract: Full Text PDF