You look familiar: Research explores how people process faces and places

The University of Western Sydney is calling on parents and their ten-year-old children to participate in a study that aims to improve our understanding of how the brain processes visual images.

Dr Rachel Robbins from the School of Social Sciences and Psychology at UWS is conducting the study of how visual cues are used for navigation and recognising people.

“Approximately 2 per cent of the population have a difficulty recognising faces, without any related brain injury or developmental issues. About one third of this population also reports having problems with navigation,” says Dr Robbins.

“For researchers, this raises the question of whether there is a link between the cognitive process of recognising and evaluating faces and locations.”

Children aged between 9 years and 9 months and 10 years and 9 months, and their parents, are required to take part in the study at the UWS Bankstown campus. 

The study is focusing on parents and their ten-year-old children as a way of assessing whether a person’s ability to process images changes with age. 

Participants will be asked to complete a series of short questionnaires and paper-based tasks. They will then be asked to read letters on an eye-chart and take part in computerised activities. 

Dr Robbins says the activities may involve retracing their steps through a virtual town, or deciding which of several faces or buildings they have seen earlier in the study.

“These simple tasks will help us to understand how people perceive and remember faces, and how this compares to the ways they remember places and locations,” says Dr Robbins. 

“Participants can also use the research to learn about their own visual and cognitive skills, by requesting feedback about their individual results in the face task.”

Participation in this project is confidential and voluntary. Completion of the research tasks will take 1 hour. 

Parents will be provided with $20 to cover travel costs, and children will receive a small toy and certificate in appreciation of their efforts.

To participate in the UWS research project, contact Rachel Robbins: r.robbins@uws.edu.au, (02) 9772 6134.

The research protocol was reviewed and approved by the UWS Human Ethics Research Committee.

Ends

10 January 2012