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In a groundbreaking study, researchers at the University of Sydney, in collaboration with scientists at the Laboratory of Brain and Cognition at the National Institute of Mental Health in the United States, have discovered that our brains respond to objects with face-like features in the same way they do to real human faces.
The study, with the DOI 10.1098/rspb.2021.0966, was funded by an Australian Research Council grant (DP190101537) awarded to Professor David Alais. Participants were asked to rate the expressions on sequences of faces, both real and those exhibiting pareidolia (the phenomenon of perceiving a face in inanimate objects), on a scale from angry to happy.
Professor Alais, the lead researcher, stated, "Seeing faces in objects is more than a child's fantasy. Objects that look face-like truly drive the brain's face detection network." The study revealed a known bias in judging human faces persisted even when analyzing inanimate, imagined faces.
The 'cross-over' condition of mixing real faces with pareidolia faces showed that the same underlying facial expression process is involved regardless of image type. This finding challenges the traditional understanding of face perception and suggests a more universal cognitive process at play.
The study's findings, along with false face images and a photo of Professor Alais, can be downloaded from a provided link. For further enquiries, media can contact Marcus Strom at [email protected] or +61 423 982 485. Interviews can also be arranged with Professor David Alais at [email protected].
It's worth noting that a recent study conducted by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA reached similar conclusions. Both studies underscore the importance of understanding the cognitive processes involved in interpreting human face-like visual signals, a field that could potentially lead to advancements in artificial intelligence and robotics.
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