Face Processing Task¶
HED Task ID: hedtsk_face_processing
Also known as: FFA Localizer, Face Localizer
Blocked or event-related presentation of faces vs. objects (or scrambled faces) to localize face-selective cortical regions (FFA, OFA, pSTS).
Description¶
The FFA Localizer presents alternating blocks of faces and non-face objects (houses, cars, scrambled images) while participants perform passive viewing or a simple task (one-back matching, gender judgment). The contrast of faces > objects identifies face-selective regions, particularly the fusiform face area (FFA) in ventral temporal cortex. The task provides an individually-defined localizer for face-selective cortex and has been fundamental to understanding the neural basis of face perception and the question of domain-specific processing modules.
Inclusion test¶
Procedure |
Blocks of faces alternate with blocks of non-face objects (houses, scrambled images) while participants perform a simple repetition-detection task. The contrast localizes face-selective cortex. |
Manipulation |
Stimulus category (faces vs. objects vs. scrambled vs. scenes); block duration; task (1-back, passive viewing). |
Measurement |
fMRI contrast (faces > objects) identifying FFA, OFA, STS; extent and magnitude of face-selective activation; lateralization index. |
Variations¶
Variation |
Description |
Justification |
|---|---|---|
Faces vs. Objects Block Design |
Alternating blocks; canonical localizer contrast. |
Localizer with objects as contrast; category-selective activation paradigm |
Faces vs. Scrambled Faces |
Controls for low-level visual features. |
Scrambled faces as control; tests configural vs. feature processing |
Faces vs. Houses |
Reliable contrast producing focused FFA activation. |
Houses as non-face object category; standard FFA localizer contrast |
Dynamic Face Localizer |
Video clips of faces; higher sensitivity. |
Moving/dynamic faces; different temporal and motion processing demands |
Upright vs. Inverted Faces |
Probes holistic/configural processing. |
Face inversion disrupts configural processing; different perceptual experience |
Identity Adaptation |
Repeated same-identity presentations to measure identity-specific responses. |
Adaptation paradigm with identity pairs; different temporal structure |
Face Parts (Eyes, Mouth) |
Isolated features vs. whole face. |
Isolated face regions; participant views different spatial configuration |
Familiar vs. Unfamiliar Faces |
Personal familiarity effects on face-selective regions. |
Familiarity manipulation changes recognition demand |
Cognitive processes¶
This task engages the following cognitive processes:
Key references¶
{‘authors’: ‘Kanwisher, N., McDermott, J., & Chun, M. M.’, ‘year’: 1997, ‘title’: ‘The Fusiform Face Area: A Module in Human Extrastriate Cortex Specialized for Face Perception’, ‘venue’: ‘The Journal of Neuroscience’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘The Journal of Neuroscience’, ‘volume’: ‘17’, ‘issue’: ‘11’, ‘pages’: ‘4302-4311’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1523/jneurosci.17-11-04302.1997’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Kanwisher, N., McDermott, J., & Chun, M. M. (1997). The fusiform face area: A module in human extrastriate cortex specialized for face perception. Journal of Neuroscience, 17(11), 4302-4311.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.17-11-04302.1997’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
{‘authors’: ‘Grill-Spector, K., Knouf, N., & Kanwisher, N.’, ‘year’: 2004, ‘title’: ‘The fusiform face area subserves face perception, not generic within-category identification’, ‘venue’: ‘Nature Neuroscience’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Nature Neuroscience’, ‘volume’: ‘7’, ‘issue’: ‘5’, ‘pages’: ‘555-562’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1038/nn1224’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Grill-Spector, K., Knouf, N., & Kanwisher, N. (2004). The fusiform face area subserves face perception, not generic within-category identification. Nature Neuroscience, 7(5), 555-562.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1224’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
{‘authors’: ‘Haxby, J. V., Hoffman, E. A., & Gobbini, M.’, ‘year’: 2000, ‘title’: ‘The distributed human neural system for face perception’, ‘venue’: ‘Trends in Cognitive Sciences’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Trends in Cognitive Sciences’, ‘volume’: ‘4’, ‘issue’: ‘6’, ‘pages’: ‘223-233’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1016/s1364-6613(00)01482-0’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Haxby, J. V., Hoffman, E. A., & Gobbini, M. I. (2000). The distributed human neural system for face perception. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 4(6), 223-233.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1016/s1364-6613(00)01482-0’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
Recent references¶
{‘authors’: ‘Weiner, K. S., & Grill-Spector, K.’, ‘year’: 2012, ‘title’: ‘The improbable simplicity of the fusiform face area’, ‘venue’: ‘Trends in Cognitive Sciences’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Trends in Cognitive Sciences’, ‘volume’: ‘16’, ‘issue’: ‘5’, ‘pages’: ‘251-254’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1016/j.tics.2012.03.003’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Weiner, K. S., & Grill-Spector, K. (2012). The improbable simplicity of the fusiform face area. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(5), 251–254.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2012.03.003’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
{‘authors’: ‘Pitcher, D., Walsh, V., & Duchaine, B.’, ‘year’: 2011, ‘title’: ‘The role of the occipital face area in the cortical face perception network’, ‘venue’: ‘Experimental Brain Research’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Experimental Brain Research’, ‘volume’: ‘209’, ‘issue’: ‘4’, ‘pages’: ‘481-493’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1007/s00221-011-2579-1’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Pitcher, D., Walsh, V., & Duchaine, B. (2011). The role of the occipital face area in the cortical face perception network. Experimental Brain Research, 209(4), 481–493.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-011-2579-1’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
{‘authors’: ‘Grill-Spector, K., Weiner, K. S., Kay, K., & Gomez, J.’, ‘year’: 2017, ‘title’: ‘The Functional Neuroanatomy of Human Face Perception’, ‘venue’: ‘Annual Review of Vision Science’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Annual Review of Vision Science’, ‘volume’: ‘3’, ‘issue’: ‘1’, ‘pages’: ‘167-196’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1146/annurev-vision-102016-061214’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Grill-Spector, K., Weiner, K. S., Kay, K., & Gomez, J. (2017). The functional neuroanatomy of human face perception. Annual Review of Vision Science, 3, 167–196.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-vision-102016-061214’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}