Department of Psychology and the Centre for Vision Research, York University.
Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, Canada.
Psychol Sci. 2022 Oct;33(10):1635-1650. doi: 10.1177/09567976221105459. Epub 2022 Sep 12.
Face masks, which became prevalent across the globe during the COVID-19 pandemic, have had a negative impact on face recognition despite the availability of critical information from uncovered face parts, especially the eyes. An outstanding question is whether face-mask effects would be attenuated following extended natural exposure. This question also pertains, more generally, to face-recognition training protocols. We used the Cambridge Face Memory Test in a cross-sectional study ( = 1,732 adults) at six different time points over a 20-month period, alongside a 12-month longitudinal study ( = 208). The results of the experiments revealed persistent deficits in recognition of masked faces and no sign of improvement across time points. Additional experiments verified that the amount of individual experience with masked faces was not correlated with the mask effect. These findings provide compelling evidence that the face-processing system does not easily adapt to visual changes in face stimuli, even following prolonged real-life exposure.
口罩在 COVID-19 大流行期间在全球范围内普及，但即使有未被口罩遮住的关键信息，尤其是眼睛，它们对面部识别仍有负面影响。一个突出的问题是，在长时间的自然暴露后，口罩效应是否会减弱。这个问题更普遍地涉及到面部识别训练方案。我们在一项为期 20 个月的 6 个不同时间点的横断面研究（=1732 名成年人）中使用了剑桥面孔记忆测试（Cambridge Face Memory Test），并进行了一项为期 12 个月的纵向研究（=208 名成年人）。实验结果显示，对戴口罩面孔的识别持续存在缺陷，而且在各时间点均未出现改善迹象。此外的实验还验证了个体戴口罩的经验量与口罩效应之间没有相关性。这些发现有力地证明了即使在长时间的真实生活暴露后，面部处理系统也不容易适应面部刺激的视觉变化。
