Windhager Sonja, Slice Dennis E, Schaefer Katrin, Oberzaucher Elisabeth, Thorstensen Truls, Grammer Karl
Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology, Department of Anthropology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
Department of Anthropology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
Hum Nat. 2008 Dec;19(4):331-46. doi: 10.1007/s12110-008-9047-z.
Over evolutionary time, humans have developed a selective sensitivity to features in the human face that convey information on sex, age, emotions, and intentions. This ability might not only be applied to our conspecifics nowadays, but also to other living objects (i.e., animals) and even to artificial structures, such as cars. To investigate this possibility, we asked people to report the characteristics, emotions, personality traits, and attitudes they attribute to car fronts, and we used geometric morphometrics (GM) and multivariate statistical methods to determine and visualize the corresponding shape information. Automotive features and proportions are found to covary with trait perception in a manner similar to that found with human faces. Emerging analogies are discussed. This study should have implications for both our understanding of our prehistoric psyche and its interrelation with the modern world.
在进化过程中，人类对面部特征产生了选择性敏感，这些特征传达了有关性别、年龄、情感和意图的信息。如今，这种能力可能不仅适用于我们的同类，也适用于其他生物（即动物），甚至适用于人造结构，如汽车。为了研究这种可能性，我们让人们报告他们赋予汽车前脸的特征、情感、性格特征和态度，并使用几何形态测量学（GM）和多元统计方法来确定和可视化相应的形状信息。研究发现，汽车的特征和比例与特质感知之间的协变方式，类似于在人类面部发现的情况。文中讨论了由此产生的类比。这项研究应该对我们理解史前心理及其与现代世界的相互关系都有启示。
