Soazig Casteau¹, Alice Nevard, Ulrik Beierholm, Holger Wiese; ¹Durham University

Face learning is an important cognitive ability that has been extensively studied, however, the precise factors contributing to this process remain unclear. Previous studies have shown that greater focus on specific facial regions (e.g., eyes) during face learning enhances recognition performance (e.g., Henderson et al., 2005). However, individual variations in optimal fixation locations suggest that effective strategies may differ across individuals (Royer et al., 2018; Peterson & Eckstein, 2013). The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between gaze patterns, individual differences, and face recognition performance in naturalistic settings. Participants engaged in a 10-minute real-life interaction with an unfamiliar person while their eye-movements were recorded using mobile eye-tracking. We then assessed individual personality traits as well as cognitive abilities related to face processing using personality and psychometric tests, and measured participants' ability to identify the learned face using a recognition test. Our results confirmed the importance of the eye region during face learning, as participants spent approximately half of their interaction time focused on faces, with around half of that time directed at the eyes. Interestingly, the proportion of time spent looking at the face or the eyes did not strongly predict participants’ recognition performance. However, we found associations between recognition scores and personality traits. Specifically, there was a negative correlation between neuroticism and recognition accuracy. Conversely, extraversion and conscientiousness showed a positive correlation with recognition accuracy. Moreover, scores on the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT+) and the Glasgow Face Matching Test (GFMT2) were significantly associated with accuracy in recognizing newly learnt faces. Our study confirms that while focusing on faces, particularly the eyes, is important for effective face learning, individual variability plays a significant role in this process. Particularly, personality traits and face recognition abilities are key factors influencing how well individuals recognize newly encountered face.

Acknowledgements: This research has been supported by an ESRC grant (ES/X014657/1)