PERCEIVING THE SEX AND RACE OF FACES - THE ROLE OF SHAPE AND COLOR

Theories of object recognition have emphasized the information conveye d by shape information, whereas theories efface recognition have empha sized properties of superficial features. In the experiments reported here we used novel technology to investigate the relative contribution s of shape and superficial colour information to simple categorization decisions about the sex and 'race' of faces. The results show that bo th shape and colour provide useful information for these decisions; sh ape information was particularly useful for race decisions while colou r dominated sex decisions. When both sources of information were combi ned, the dominant source depended on viewpoint, with angled views emph asizing the contribution of shape and the full-face view colour. The r esults are discussed within the context of theories of face recognitio n and their implications for telecommunication applications are consid ered.