What is in a view? The role of featural information in the recognition of unfamiliar faces across viewpoint

In recognising a face the visual system shows a remarkable ability in overcoming changes in viewpoint. However, the mechanisms involved in solving this complex computational problem, particularly in terms of information processing, have not been clearly defined. Consid- erable evidence indicates that face recognition involves both featural and configural processing. In this study we examined the contribution of featural information across viewpoint change. Participants were familiarised with unknown faces and were later tested for recognition in com- plete or part-face format, across changes in view. A striking effect of viewpoint resulting in a reduction in profile recognition compared with the three-quarter and frontal views was found. However, a complete-face over part-face advantage independent of transformation was demon- strated across all views. A hierarchy of feature salience was also demonstrated. Findings are discussed in terms of the problem of object constancy as it applies to faces.