The relation between holistic processing as measured by three composite tasks and face processing: A latent variable modeling approach
Abstract
We investigated the relationship between holistic processing and face processing using a latent variables approach. Three versions of the composite paradigm were used to measure holistic processing - Vanderbilt Holistic Face Processing Test, a sequential composite matching task, and a simultaneous composite matching task. Three tasks were used to measure face perception and face memory abilities respectively. We had three pairs of tasks such that within each pair (of memory and perception task), the stimuli involved, the requirement for matching across viewpoints, etc., are the same, such that the only difference is whether perception or memory is taxed. There were no significant correlations between the different versions of the composite task. We discovered no evidence to support a distinction between face perception and face memory, suggesting the existence of a general face processing factor. Finally, there was no evidence that holistic processing (as captured by either of the three composite tasks) is predictive of better face processing per se, casting doubts on the role of holistic processing in differentiating different levels of efficiency in face processing.
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Francisco Cruz
Invited Assistant Professor
Francisco Cruz is an invited assistant professor in psychology, statistics, and methods at the Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, and Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Europeia. Junior Consulting Editor at the Journal of European Social Psychology, 2025-present. Social Psychology Ph.D. on lay beliefs about science, supervised by Prof. André Mata (Universidade de Lisboa) and Prof. Tania Lombrozo (Princeton University), 2022-2025. Visiting Student Research Collaborator at Princeton University, 2023-2024. Society for General Psychology and Interdisciplinary Inquiry, Fulbright Portugal, and Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia awardee. His research interests include lay beliefs about science (i.e., what people believe that science can or cannot explain and why), motivated beliefs in science (i.e., the contexts in which people are more prone to accepting scientific explanations), representation of social groups (i.e., how people integrate information to provide judgments on shared homogeneity vs. heterogeneity across group members), epistemic trespassing (i.e., when people provide judgments on domains beyond those in which they are experts), intuitive mind-body dualism (i.e., a natural tendency to see the world as split in material and immaterial portions), and face perception (i.e., features driving the advantage in recall for own- vs. other-race faces).