Recognizing one's own face

We report two studies of facial self-perception using individually tailored, standardized facial photographs of a group of volunteers and their partners. A computerized morphing procedure was used to merge each target face with an unknown control face. In the first set of experiments, a discriminati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cognition 2001, Vol.78 (1), p.B1-B15
Main Authors: Kircher, Tilo T.J, Senior, Carl, Phillips, Mary L, Rabe-Hesketh, Sophia, Benson, Philip J, Bullmore, Edward T, Brammer, Mick, Simmons, Andrew, Bartels, Mathias, David, Anthony S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Anatomical correlates of behavior
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain - blood supply
Brain - metabolism
Dominance, Cerebral
Face
Face recognition
Female
Functional imaging
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Nerve Net
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reaction Time
Recognition (Psychology)
Self Concept
Self-perception
Visual Perception
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Summary:We report two studies of facial self-perception using individually tailored, standardized facial photographs of a group of volunteers and their partners. A computerized morphing procedure was used to merge each target face with an unknown control face. In the first set of experiments, a discrimination task revealed a delayed response time for the more extensively morphed self-face stimuli. In a second set of experiments, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activation while subjects viewed morphed versions of either their own or their partner's face, alternating in blocks with presentation of an unknown face. When subjects viewed themselves (minus activation for viewing an unknown face), increased blood oxygenation was detected in right limbic (hippocampal formation, insula, anterior cingulate), left prefrontal cortex and superior temporal cortex. In the partner (versus unknown) experiment, only the right insula was activated. We suggest that a neural network involving the right hemisphere in conjunction with left-sided associative and executive regions underlies the process of visual self-recognition. Together, this combination produces the unique experience of self-awareness.
ISSN:0010-0277
1873-7838
DOI:10.1016/S0010-0277(00)00104-9