Face information sampling in super-recognizers

Perceptual processes underlying individual differences in face recognition ability remain poorly understood. We compared visual sampling of 37 super-recognizers – individuals with superior face recognition ability – to typical viewers by measuring gaze position as they learned and recognized unfamiliar faces. In both phases, participants viewed faces through ‘spotlight’ apertures that varied in size, with face information restricted in real-time around their point of fixation. We found higher accuracy in super-recognizers at all aperture sizes – showing their superiority does not rely on global sampling of face information, but is also evident when forced to adopt piecemeal sampling. In addition, super-recognizers made more fixations, focused less on the eye region and distributed their gaze more broadly than typical viewers. These differences were most apparent when learning faces, and were consistent with trends we observed across the broader ability spectrum, suggesting that they are reflective of factors that vary dimensionally in the broader population.