Abstract:

Examined individual differences in face cognition abilities. 85 subjects (aged 18-35 years) participated in an event-related potential (ERP) study while performing tasks measuring face cognition and other cognitive abilities. Results demonstrated a moderate relationship between face recognition accuracy and N170 latency reflecting structural face encoding as well as the latencies and amplitudes of the early and late repetition effects (ERE and LRE) reflecting access to representations of faces and of person knowledge. Face recognition speed was related to the amplitudes of ERE and LRE. ERE amplitude for learned faces revealed the highest contributions to individual differences in face cognition. Brain-behavior relationships between face cognition abilities and the N170 and ERE latencies were moderated by mental speed, immediate and delayed memory, general cognitive abilities, and object cognition. It is concluded that individual differences in face cognition are largely explained by the speed and efficiency of activating memory representations of faces and person knowledge.