自我参照框架决定了自我面孔优势效应的出现

Self-face Advantage Benefits from a Visual Self-reference Frame

研究使用外显面孔再认实验(实验一)和内隐面孔感知实验(实验二)检验自我参照框架是否是自我面孔加工优势出现的决定性因素这一假设。具有不同朝向(左或右)的被试自己面孔和朋友面孔呈现在视野中央,实验一中,被试的任务为参照自我框架(观察者角度)或他人框架(被观察的像的角度)判断自我面孔的朝向(忽视朋友面孔),或者判断朋友面孔的朝向(忽视自我面孔);实验二中,被试的任务为参照自我框架或他人框架判断所有面孔的朝向。结果表明:自我参照框架促进自我面孔加工优势的出现,而他人参照框架消减自我面孔优势,这种效应稳定地存在于外显和内隐两项任务中。并且,自我参照框架对自我优势效应的促进作用不依赖于面孔刺激背景。

One responds faster to own faces than the faces of others. Although this self-advantage effect in face processing has been well documented, the mechanism underlying the phenomena is far from clear. A plausible account of the effect is that self-face as the salient stimulus automatically attracts one＇s attention relative to others＇ faces. An alternative interpretation based on the theory of social cognition stresses the implicit positive association between the self and positive trait adjectives, suggesting that such implicit associations may contribute to the self-advantage. Here we propose that the self-reference frame （making judgments from first-person perspective） facilitates the self-face processing compared to the processing of others＇ faces. We reported two experiments to assess the role of the self-reference frame in the self-advantage effect by manipulating the judgment-reference frame （self- vs. other-reference） and the attentional level （explicit vs. implicit task）. There were sixteen pairs of gender matched participants in Experiment 1, they selectively judged the orientation of self or familiar faces while ignoring the familiar or self faces （explicit face-recognition task） from the self （making judgment from the participants＇ own perspective） or other-reference frame （making judgment from the perspective of viewed images）. In Experiment 2, fourteen pairs of participants had to judge the orientations of all types of faces including self, familiar, and unfamiliar others （implicit face-perception task） from the self or other-reference frame. Reaction time and accuracy were measured when participants conducted the tasks, and analyzed using repeated-measures analyses of variance （ANOVAs） with Face （self vs. familiar） and Perspective （self- vs. other-reference） as within-subjects variables. We observed a clear benefit in the self relative to other conditions -- participants responded faster to own-face than the faces of others. But this effect exclusively occurred in the self-reference frame condition, regardless of the type of tasks. In contrast, the advantage effect was eliminated in the other-reference frame condition in either the explicit or implicit tasks. The results indicate that the self-advantage in face processing results from self-reference frame. Although the judgment-reference frame was not explicitly emphasized in prior studies on self-face processing, self-face may automatically induce the self-reference frame and lead to a facilitation in self-face processing.