How the Thatcher illusion reveals evolutionary differences in the face processing of
primates
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1
Macquarie University, Department of Brain, Behaviour and Evolution, Australia
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2
Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Research in Psychology, Belgium
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3
Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, United States
Face recognition in humans is a complex cognitive skill that requires sensitivity to unique configurations of eyes, mouth, and other facial features. The Thatcher illusion has been used to demonstrate the importance of orientation when processing configural information within faces. Transforming an upright face so that the eyes and mouth are inverted renders the face grotesque; however, when this “Thatcherized” face is inverted, the effect disappears. Due to the use of primate models in social cognitive research, it is important to determine the extent to which specialized cognitive functions like face processing occur across species. To date, the Thatcher illusion has been explored in only a few species with mixed results. Here, we examined whether two species of nonhuman primates perceive the Thatcher illusion using computerized tasks. Chimpanzees and rhesus monkeys were required to discriminate between Thatcherized and unaltered faces presented in both upright and inverted orientations. Chimpanzees were able to consistently distinguish between an upright Thatcherized face and its unaltered original, but failed at this task when the images were both inverted, showing clear evidence of the Thatcher illusion. In contrast, the rhesus monkeys were unable to discriminate between the two, regardless of orientation. Three further experiments were conducted to account for this disparity and, together, our results suggest that rhesus monkeys rely on different diagnostic information in face processing than chimpanzees and humans. These species differences should be carefully considered when interpreting data from nonhuman primates.
Acknowledgements
This investigation was supported by RR-00165 from the NIH/NCRR to the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and R01-MH068791 to LA Parr. The Yerkes National Primate Research Center is fully accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care.
Keywords:
face recognition,
chimpanzee,
Rhesus Monkey,
evolution,
Visual illusion,
match-to-sample
Conference:
ACNS-2012 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference, Brisbane, Australia, 29 Nov - 2 Dec, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Sensation and Perception
Citation:
Weldon
K,
Taubert
J and
Parr
LA
(2012). How the Thatcher illusion reveals evolutionary differences in the face processing of
primates.
Conference Abstract:
ACNS-2012 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2012.208.00164
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Received:
14 Oct 2012;
Published Online:
17 Nov 2012.
*
Correspondence:
Ms. Kimberly Weldon, Macquarie University, Department of Brain, Behaviour and Evolution, Marsfield, NSW, 2122, Australia, kim.weldon@mq.edu.au