Adaptation may cause some of the face caricature effect

Citation

Hancock PJB & Little A (2011) Adaptation may cause some of the face caricature effect. Perception, 40 (3), pp. 317-322. https://doi.org/10.1068/p6865

Abstract
One of the ways to demonstrate a caricature preference is to ask participants to adjust a face image over a range from anti-caricature to caricature until it shows the best likeness to a specific individual. Since facial adaptation, whereby exposure to a face influences subsequent perception of faces, is rapid, it is possible that adaptation promotes the selection of a caricatured image. We tested whether giving participants a reference average face image, to counteract any adaptation, would reduce the degree of caricature selected for famous faces. Results confirmed a significant decrease, but even without an average, participants chose an anti-caricatured image. These data suggest a role for adaptation in generating caricature preferences while also suggesting such preferences are not inevitable.

Keywords
Face adaptation; Facial caricature; anti-caricature; Face Physiology; Face perception

Journal
Perception: Volume 40, Issue 3

People

Professor Peter Hancock

Professor, Psychology