Configurational factors in the perception of faces and non-facial objects: an ERP study.

During the viewing of human faces, it is easier to recognize detailed features if the face is presented in an unusual configuration; for example, a split face. The present study used electroencephalography to investigate the brain activity elicited in response to a neutral, inverted, and split face and compared this to the activity produced in response to a non-facial stimulus (a clock). Results showed that the N170 response amplitude was larger and its latency longer during recognition of split and inverted faces as compared to a normal face, whereas no amplitude change was seen for the different clock configurations. However, for the P300 component, larger amplitudes were observed in both the face and the object condition. Taken together, the results suggest that unusual human face presentations are detected at earlier stages than unusual object presentations.