The HED Task Catalog is under development. IDs are not stable until formal release. Comments are welcome at github.com/hed-standard/hed-task/issues.

Face Processing Task

HED task ID: hedtsk_face_processing

Family: Perceptual judgment and psychophysics tasks

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

An experiment is an instance of this task when its procedure matches, it manipulates at least one of the listed variables, and it records at least one of the listed measures.

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

Named versions that change what the participant experiences or does. The identifier of a variation is hedvar_<task>__<variation>.

Variation	Description	Justification
Faces vs. Objects Block Design hedvar_face_processing__faces_vs_objects_block_design	Alternating blocks; canonical localizer contrast.	Localizer with objects as contrast; category-selective activation paradigm
Faces vs. Scrambled Faces hedvar_face_processing__faces_vs_scrambled_faces	Controls for low-level visual features.	Scrambled faces as control; tests configural vs. feature processing
Faces vs. Houses hedvar_face_processing__faces_vs_houses	Reliable contrast producing focused FFA activation.	Houses as non-face object category; standard FFA localizer contrast
Dynamic Face Localizer hedvar_face_processing__dynamic_face_localizer	Video clips of faces; higher sensitivity.	Moving/dynamic faces; different temporal and motion processing demands
Upright vs. Inverted Faces hedvar_face_processing__upright_vs_inverted_faces	Probes holistic/configural processing.	Face inversion disrupts configural processing; different perceptual experience
Identity Adaptation hedvar_face_processing__identity_adaptation	Repeated same-identity presentations to measure identity-specific responses.	Adaptation paradigm with identity pairs; different temporal structure
Face Parts (Eyes, Mouth) hedvar_face_processing__face_parts_eyes_mouth	Isolated features vs. whole face.	Isolated face regions; participant views different spatial configuration
Familiar vs. Unfamiliar Faces hedvar_face_processing__familiar_vs_unfamiliar_faces	Personal familiarity effects on face-selective regions.	Familiarity manipulation changes recognition demand

Cognitive processes

This task is designed to engage the following processes:

• Face perception

• Visual object recognition

• Visual perception

Key references

• 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. (DOI, PubMed)

• 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. (DOI, PubMed)

• 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. (DOI, PubMed)

Further references

• Weiner, K. S., & Grill-Spector, K. (2012). The improbable simplicity of the fusiform face area. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(5), 251–254. (DOI, PubMed)

• 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. (DOI, PubMed)

• 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. (DOI, PubMed)