YOUR EYES ONLY - A TEST OF INTERACTIVE INFLUENCE IN THE PROCESSING OFFACIAL FEATURES

The holistic hypothesis in face processing was tested in 3 experiments . Holistic processing was conceptualized as interactive influence of f acial features on the perceptual representation of faces. In Experimen t 1, 3 facial features (eye distance, width of nose, size of mouth) we re varied on 3 values per feature. Photographs and blurted versions we re used. Participants assigned each stimulus face to 1 of 2 target fac es according to similarity. The data were evaluated by the legit model that provides a direct test of interactive influence of the features on participants' performance. The interactive-processing hypothesis wa s not confirmed. The results were replicated in Experiment 2, in which 2 features with 5 values each were used and data of individual partic ipants were evaluated, and in Experiment 3, in which a reduced present ation time of 250 ms was used. It is concluded that facial features ar e processed and represented independently.