Differential recognition of the left vs. the right side of human faces

Abstract

Ninety-one college students inspected six adult male faces (frontal view) for 5 min, with the instruction to remember each face. In a recognition test conducted 1 week later, they attempted to identify the six faces seen previously from a group of 12 adult male faces. During the test, three independent groups (n=30-31/group) saw the full faces, only the left side, or only the right side of each face. The subjects viewing full faces during the recognition test committed reliably fewer errors (p <.001) than those viewing either half of the faces. Further, those viewing the left side committed reliably fewer errors (p <.05) than those viewing the right side. The left side of a face either contains more cues mediating individual recognition or, more likely, evokes more efficient central processing than does the right side.