124. Electrophysiological correlates of individual differences in face ability: A preliminary report

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to investigate the electrophysiological correlates of face processing in different groups of subjects selected on the basis of their poor, low or high face ability, namely Congenital Prosopagnosics, Bad and Good face recognizers. We examined how the Event Related Potentials (ERP) components were modulated by individual differences. The study was characterized by two sessions, in the first session face ability was evaluated by means of two tests: the Cambridge Face Memory Test and the Cambridge Face Perception Test. Subjects whose scores fell within two and one SDs below the mean were classified as Congenital Prosopagnosics and Bad recognizers respectively; whereas those that fell within one SD above the mean were classified as Good recognizers. In the second session, ERP were recorded during a same/different task with the procedure of the neural rapid visual adaptation. A modulation of neural activity emerged as function of individual differences. Specifically, the N170 component – a face-specific neural marker – showed an adaptation pattern according to different groups. Amplitude and latency varied as function of face ability showed by subjects, indicating a specific brain activity linked to individual differences in face processing.