FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ACCURACY OF AGE ESTIMATES OF UNFAMILIAR FACES

Factors affecting the accuracy with which adults could assess the age of unfamiliar male faces aged between 5 and 70 years were examined. In the first experiment twenty-five 'young' adult subjects, aged 16-25, and twenty-five 'old' adults, aged 51-60, were used. Each subject saw five versions of three different faces: these consisted of an original version of each face and four manipulated versions of it. The manipul ations consisted of mirror reversal, pseudo-cardioidal strain, thresho lding, and elimination of all but the internal features of the face. T he second experiment was similar except that a between-subjects design was used: each subject saw three faces for each age category of targe t face, but was exposed to only a single type of manipulation (plus a set of 'original' faces which were identical for all groups, so that t he comparability of the different groups in age estimation could be ch ecked). Results from both experiments were similar. Age estimates for unmanipulated 'original' faces were highly accurate, although subjects were most accurate with target faces that were within their own age r ange. Results for the manipulated faces implied that the importance of cardioidal strain as a necessary and sufficient cue to age may have b een overestimated in previous reports: subjects' age estimates were ac curate when cardioidal strain was absent from the stimulus, and poor w hen cardioidal strain was the only cue available.