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Brian Song

B03 Su Keun Jeong


Abstract
This experiment compares the subjects ability to recognize faces and
scenes. Subjects were presented with a series of four blocks of images
featuring either faces or scenes in upright or inverted position. The results
from the block experiment indicate that the accuracy in recognizing both
faces and scenes is significantly lower when they are inverted, and inverted
face recognition is even less accurate than inverted scene recognition. This
seems to suggest not only that inverted faces and scenes are more difficulty
recognized because people are used to mono-oriented (upright) objects, but
also that there is a distinct difficulty in recognizing inverted faces.
Introduction
This experiment compares a subjects ability to recognize faces and scenes,
which are usually seen in a mono-oriented (upright) orientation. The
experiment tested the subjects ability to recall faces and scenes separately,
as there was a block for face recognition and a block for scene recognition.
The second parameter of the experiment was the introduction of image
inversion and its effect on face and scene recognition. This was done with a
block for inverted scene recognition and inverted scene recognition. This
experiment is a replication of a previous experiment done by Yin that is
titled: Looking at upside-down faces. (Yin, 1969).
The hypothesis for this experiment was that subjects would recognize scenes
and faces with a higher accuracy than they would inverted scenes and
inverted faces. Additionally, it was hypothesized that the difference in
recognition accuracy between upright faces and inverted faces would be
greater than that of upright scenes and inverted scenes.
Methods
This experiment was conducted using MATLAB software with the
PsychToolBox plug-in. Forty-one subjects participated in the experiment. The
first screen of the experiment prompted the subject to press a key to start
the first of four blocks. The blocks were randomized and contained either
faces, inverted faces, scenes, or inverted scenes. Each block consisted of two
phases: the presentation phase and the recognition phase. During the
presentation phase a series of 34 randomized images are shown in series;
each image is visible for three seconds followed by a second of a blank
screen in preparation for the next image. The subject has the task of
remembering as many images as possible in preparation for the test phase.
During the test phase, the subject had an alternative force task of two
images, one of them novel and the other from the presentation phase. For
each pair, the subject uses the F and the J key to select the image that
he/she recognizes from the presentation phase. The data collection is over

after the subject completes the faces, inverted faces, scenes, inverted
scenes blocks.
Results
In Figure 1, the upright recognition accuracy of the face trials was M =
0.8135, SD = 0.0219, and the inverted recognition accuracy was M = 0.6456,
SD = 0.0218. With regards to the scene trials, the upright recognition
accuracy was M = 0.8085, SD = 0.0182, and the inverted recognition
accuracy was M = 0.7209, SD = 0.0225.
Applying the t-test separately to face and scene trials, the difference
between trials of opposite orientation was statistically significant for both
faces, t = 8.11, p < 0.0001, and scenes, t = 4.73, p < 0.0001. Additionally,
the difference between inverted faces and inverted scenes was also
significant, t = 3.81, p < 0.0001.
Figure 1: Comparison of the face and scene recognition tasks with modified
orientation

Discussion
Because the accuracy for the upright faces and scenes lie within their
respective standard deviations of each other, the results show that the
difference in recognition accuracy between upright scenes and faces is
statistically insignificant. However, there was a statistically noticeable
difference between inverted faces and inverted scenes. Finally, both inverted
blocks resulted in significantly lower recognition accuracy. These findings
suggest that inverted faces and scenes are recognized with diminished
accuracy because people are used to viewing mono-oriented (upright)
images as opposed to inverted images. This experiment also suggests that
there may be a distinctive difficulty in recognizing inverted faces.

This experiment could be complicated by the fact that each subject could
have had a unique method of memorizing the images. The experimenter
could implement a consistent strategy of memorization to reduce variability
in memorizing the images. Further experiments could possible explore what
about what aspects of the face create such confusion in recognizing inverted
faces.
References
Yin, R. K. (1969). Looking at upside-down faces. Journal of experimental
psychology, 81(1), 141.

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