Abstract
At the group level, women consistently perform better in face memory tasks than men and also show earlier and larger N170 components of event-related brain potentials (ERP), considered to indicate perceptual structural encoding of faces. Here we investigated sex differences in the relationship between the N170 and face memory performance in 152 men and 141 women at group mean and individual differences levels. ERPs and performance were measured in separate tasks, avoiding statistical dependency between the two. We confirmed previous findings about superior face memory in women and a—sex-independent—negative relationship between N170 latency and face memory. However, whereas in men, better face memory was related to larger N170 components, face memory in women was unrelated with the amplitude or latency of the N170. These data provide solid evidence that individual differences in face memory within men are at least partially related to more intense structural face encoding.
Highlights
IntroductionFemale superiority in face processing is a well-established finding
Sex differences in face memoryFemale superiority in face processing is a well-established finding
In order to test whether the sex difference in face memory ability is replicable, the standardized latent face memory factor was regressed onto the dummy-coded variable sex
Summary
Female superiority in face processing is a well-established finding. This holds true for recognizing both emotional facial expressions (McClure, 2000) and facial identities (Herlitz and Lovén, 2013; Heisz et al, 2013). The suggestion that female superiority holds true especially for own sex faces (Herlitz and Lovén, 2013) is not consistently supported (Hoheisel and Kryspin-Exner, 2005; Sommer et al, 2013). The current consensus seems to be that there is female superiority in the abilities to perceive, learn and recognize faces of both sexes, which is independent of general cognitive functioning
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