ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF FACIAL SELF-RECOGNITION IN ADULTS AND CHILDREN

Abstract:

This study was designed to examine the electrophysiological correlates of facial self-recognition in adults and four-year-old children. Participants passively viewed neutral pictures of their own face, as well as faces of a familiar adult, an unfamiliar adult, and an unfamiliar infant while event-related-potentials (ERPs) were recorded. The results indicate an increase in processing specificity across time in adults but not children. In adults, the vertex positive potential (VPP) seems to be influenced by the emotional saliency of faces, whereas the N200/300 and P300 are differentiating familiar and unfamiliar faces. Additionally, the neural response to the self face compared to all other faces is greatest for the P300 component. In contrast, four-year olds only exhibited differences between familiar and unfamiliar stimuli for the P2 component. Combined, the results of this study indicate processing differences between adults and four-year olds while processing familiar and unfamiliar faces. Furthermore, four-year olds exhibited a more diffuse pattern of electrical activity compared to adults.

Keywords: event-related potentials (ERPs), self-recognition, self-perception, face-perception, development