Pallett Pamela M, Dobkins Karen R
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California.
Vis Neurosci. 2013 Nov;30(5-6):251-62. doi: 10.1017/S0952523813000217. Epub 2013 Aug 2.
The current study tested the development of face and object processing in young children (mean age = 5.24 years), adolescents (mean age = 15.8 years), and adults (mean age = 21.1 years) using stimuli that were equated for low-level visual characteristics (luminance, contrast, and spatial frequency make-up) and methods that equate for difficulty across ages. We also tested sensitivity to luminance and chromatic contrast (i.e., thought to be mediated primarily by the subcortical Magnocellular (M) and Parvocellular (P) pathways, respectively) to determine whether age-related improvements in face or object discrimination were driven by age-related changes in the M and/or P pathways. Results showed a selective age-related improvement in face sensitivity and a relationship between age-related increases in face sensitivity and luminance contrast sensitivity. These results add to the mounting evidence that the M pathway may influence face processing.
本研究使用在低水平视觉特征（亮度、对比度和空间频率构成）方面等同的刺激以及在各年龄段难度等同的方法，测试了幼儿（平均年龄 = 5.24岁）、青少年（平均年龄 = 15.8岁）和成年人（平均年龄 = 21.1岁）面部和物体加工的发展情况。我们还测试了对亮度和颜色对比度的敏感度（即分别被认为主要由皮层下大细胞（M）和小细胞（P）通路介导），以确定面部或物体辨别能力与年龄相关的改善是否由M和/或P通路中与年龄相关的变化所驱动。结果显示，面部敏感度存在与年龄相关的选择性改善，且面部敏感度与年龄相关的增加和亮度对比度敏感度之间存在关联。这些结果进一步证明了M通路可能影响面部加工。
