Independent contributions of the face, body, and gait to the representation of the whole person
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Independent contributions of the face, body, and gait to the representation of the whole person Noa Simhi 1 & Galit Yovel 1,2
# The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2020
Abstract Most studies on person perception have primarily investigated static images of faces. However, real-life person perception also involves the body and often the gait of the whole person. Whereas some studies indicated that the face dominates the representation of the whole person, others have emphasized the additional contribution of the body and gait. Here, we compared models of whole-person perception by asking whether a model that includes the body for static whole-person stimuli and also the gait for dynamic whole-person stimuli accounts better for the representation of the whole person than a model that takes into account the face alone. Participants rated the distinctiveness of static or dynamic displays of different people based on either the whole person, face, body, or gait. By fitting a linear regression model to the representation of the whole person based on the face, body, and gait, we revealed that the face and body contribute uniquely and independently to the representation of the static whole person, and that gait further contributes to the representation of the dynamic person. A complementary analysis examined whether these components are also valid dimensions of a whole-person representational space. This analysis further confirmed that the body in addition to the face as well as the gait are valid dimensions of the static and dynamic whole-person representations, respectively. These data clearly show that whole-person perception goes beyond the face and is significantly influenced by the body and gait. Keywords Person perception . Face perception . Representational space . Gait . Biological motion
Most studies on person perception presented participants with static images of faces alone. Nonetheless, in naturalistic encounters with people, we see not only their face but also their Significance Most person-perception studies focus on faces. However, recent findings also point to contributions of the body and gait. To assess whether the body and gait uniquely contribute to person perception beyond faces, participants rated the distinctiveness of the face, body, gait, or whole person from dynamic and static whole-person displays. These ratings were used to model whole-person perception based on its components. We show that the body and gait contribute uniquely and independently to person perception. Thus, to study real-life person perception, research should go beyond the face and examine the contribution of the body and gait. * Noa Simhi [email protected] * Galit Yovel [email protected] 1
The School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, 69978 Tel-Aviv, Israel
2
The Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, 69978 Tel-Aviv, Israel
body, and often we perceive their motion pattern as well. Do the body and motion contribute to person recognition beyond the face? Earlier studies have proposed that the face
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