Author(s): Ventura, Paulo ; Liu, Tina T. ; Cruz, F. ; Pereira, Alexandre
Date: 2023
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10451/63276
Origin: Repositório da Universidade de Lisboa
Subject(s): Word processing; Face processing; Holistic processing; Interaction between faces and words
The question of whether word and face recognition rely on overlapping or dissociable neural and cognitive mechanisms received considerable attention in the literature. In the present work, we presented words (aligned or misaligned) superimposed on faces (aligned or misaligned) and tested the interference from the unattended stimulus category on holistic processing of the attended category. In Experiment 1, we found that holistic face processing is reduced when a face was overlaid with an unattended, aligned word (processed holistically). In Experiment 2, we found a similar reduction of holistic processing for words when a word was superimposed on an unattended, aligned face (processed holistically). This reciprocal interference efect indicates a trade-of in holistic processing of the two stimuli, consistent with the idea that word and face recognition may rely on non-independent, overlapping mechanisms.
