Slide
Centre Interdisciplinaire
de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
1.
Gingras, F.; Fiset, D.; Plouffe-Demers, M. -P.; Estéphan, A.; N’Guiamba, M.; Sun, D.; Zhang, Y.; Blais, C.
Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli Journal Article
In: Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, vol. 33, no. 1, 2026, ISSN: 10699384 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult
@article{gingras_cultural_2026,
title = {Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli},
author = {F. Gingras and D. Fiset and M. -P. Plouffe-Demers and A. Estéphan and M. N’Guiamba and D. Sun and Y. Zhang and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105025378146&doi=10.3758%2Fs13423-025-02832-0&partnerID=40&md5=43840b8cfa4c2df54e647f03a452f8e5},
doi = {10.3758/s13423-025-02832-0},
issn = {10699384 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Psychonomic Bulletin and Review},
volume = {33},
number = {1},
abstract = {Previous research has identified cultural differences in visual perception, where East Asians focus more on global object structure and display a larger breadth of attention compared with Westerners. East Asians rely on lower spatial frequencies (SFs) compared to Westerners for face recognition, which may be linked to this. Investigating whether such differences extend to other high-level stimulus categories would clarify if SF tuning differences reflect more general or face specific cognitive processes. The present study compared the SF tunings of Canadians and Chinese during object (Exp. 1; N = 50) and scene (Exp. 3; N = 47) categorization. In both experiments, results did not indicate a significant difference between groups. In Experiment 3 (N = 128), we conducted an online replication of Experiment 1 while measuring the SF tunings of the same participants during face perception. Again, no significant difference between the groups was found during object categorization, but the finding that East Asians rely on lower SF than Westerners was replicated. Together, these results suggest that unique mechanisms may underlie the cultural differences in face processing, though alternative explanations, such as the feature consistency of faces, could also account for these findings. © The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2025.},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Previous research has identified cultural differences in visual perception, where East Asians focus more on global object structure and display a larger breadth of attention compared with Westerners. East Asians rely on lower spatial frequencies (SFs) compared to Westerners for face recognition, which may be linked to this. Investigating whether such differences extend to other high-level stimulus categories would clarify if SF tuning differences reflect more general or face specific cognitive processes. The present study compared the SF tunings of Canadians and Chinese during object (Exp. 1; N = 50) and scene (Exp. 3; N = 47) categorization. In both experiments, results did not indicate a significant difference between groups. In Experiment 3 (N = 128), we conducted an online replication of Experiment 1 while measuring the SF tunings of the same participants during face perception. Again, no significant difference between the groups was found during object categorization, but the finding that East Asians rely on lower SF than Westerners was replicated. Together, these results suggest that unique mechanisms may underlie the cultural differences in face processing, though alternative explanations, such as the feature consistency of faces, could also account for these findings. © The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2025.
2.
Blais, C.; Fiset, D.; Gingras, F.; Plouffe-Demers, M. -P.; Charbonneau, I.
Diversity in Visual Perception: How Cultural Variability in Face Processing Can Inform Policymakers Journal Article
In: Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 141–148, 2024, ISSN: 23727322 (ISSN), (Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: diversity, Face processing, facial expressions, other-race effect, psychology, societal applications, Visual Perception
@article{blais_diversity_2024,
title = {Diversity in Visual Perception: How Cultural Variability in Face Processing Can Inform Policymakers},
author = {C. Blais and D. Fiset and F. Gingras and M. -P. Plouffe-Demers and I. Charbonneau},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85201022017&doi=10.1177%2f23727322241269039&partnerID=40&md5=a39ef8d37e4997448cc134104d69269d},
doi = {10.1177/23727322241269039},
issn = {23727322 (ISSN)},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences},
volume = {11},
number = {2},
pages = {141–148},
publisher = {SAGE Publications Ltd},
abstract = {Psychology and behavioral sciences lack diversity in their participant samples. In visual perception, more specifically, common practice assumes that the processes studied are fundamental and universal. In contrast, cultural psychology has accumulated evidence of cultural variability in visual perception. In face processing, for instance, this cultural variability may sabotage intercultural relations. Policies aim to increase diversity in research, supporting cultural psychology, and to increase awareness among professional workforces, as well as the general population, concerning how cultural variability may influence their interpretation of another's behavior. © The Author(s) 2024.},
note = {Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd},
keywords = {diversity, Face processing, facial expressions, other-race effect, psychology, societal applications, Visual Perception},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Psychology and behavioral sciences lack diversity in their participant samples. In visual perception, more specifically, common practice assumes that the processes studied are fundamental and universal. In contrast, cultural psychology has accumulated evidence of cultural variability in visual perception. In face processing, for instance, this cultural variability may sabotage intercultural relations. Policies aim to increase diversity in research, supporting cultural psychology, and to increase awareness among professional workforces, as well as the general population, concerning how cultural variability may influence their interpretation of another's behavior. © The Author(s) 2024.
3.
Blais, C.; Linnell, K. J.; Caparos, S.; Estéphan, A.
Cultural Differences in Face Recognition and Potential Underlying Mechanisms Journal Article
In: Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 12, 2021, ISSN: 16641078 (ISSN), (Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: cultural psychology, Culture, face identification, Face processing, Visual Perception
@article{blais_cultural_2021,
title = {Cultural Differences in Face Recognition and Potential Underlying Mechanisms},
author = {C. Blais and K. J. Linnell and S. Caparos and A. Estéphan},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85104929853&doi=10.3389%2ffpsyg.2021.627026&partnerID=40&md5=32daa32653a313728485cedaa2d61c9f},
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2021.627026},
issn = {16641078 (ISSN)},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-01},
journal = {Frontiers in Psychology},
volume = {12},
publisher = {Frontiers Media S.A.},
abstract = {The ability to recognize a face is crucial for the success of social interactions. Understanding the visual processes underlying this ability has been the focus of a long tradition of research. Recent advances in the field have revealed that individuals having different cultural backgrounds differ in the type of visual information they use for face processing. However, the mechanisms that underpin these differences remain unknown. Here, we revisit recent findings highlighting group differences in face processing. Then, we integrate these results in a model of visual categorization developed in the field of psychophysics: the RAP framework. On the basis of this framework, we discuss potential mechanisms, whether face-specific or not, that may underlie cross-cultural differences in face perception. © Copyright © 2021 Blais, Linnell, Caparos and Estéphan.},
note = {Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.},
keywords = {cultural psychology, Culture, face identification, Face processing, Visual Perception},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The ability to recognize a face is crucial for the success of social interactions. Understanding the visual processes underlying this ability has been the focus of a long tradition of research. Recent advances in the field have revealed that individuals having different cultural backgrounds differ in the type of visual information they use for face processing. However, the mechanisms that underpin these differences remain unknown. Here, we revisit recent findings highlighting group differences in face processing. Then, we integrate these results in a model of visual categorization developed in the field of psychophysics: the RAP framework. On the basis of this framework, we discuss potential mechanisms, whether face-specific or not, that may underlie cross-cultural differences in face perception. © Copyright © 2021 Blais, Linnell, Caparos and Estéphan.
4.
Tardif, J.; Fiset, D.; Zhang, Y.; Estéphan, A.; Cai, Q.; Luo, C.; Sun, D.; Gosselin, F.; Blais, C.
Culture shapes spatial frequency tuning for face identification Journal Article
In: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 294–306, 2017, ISSN: 00961523 (ISSN), (Publisher: American Psychological Association Inc.).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, Canada, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, cultural factor, Culture, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, perception, physiology, Psychophysics, Social Perception, spatial frequency, Visual Perception, Young Adult
@article{tardif_culture_2017,
title = {Culture shapes spatial frequency tuning for face identification},
author = {J. Tardif and D. Fiset and Y. Zhang and A. Estéphan and Q. Cai and C. Luo and D. Sun and F. Gosselin and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85007170276&doi=10.1037%2fxhp0000288&partnerID=40&md5=ed8796fea4a7a48b33b0aad005ce3872},
doi = {10.1037/xhp0000288},
issn = {00961523 (ISSN)},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance},
volume = {43},
number = {2},
pages = {294–306},
publisher = {American Psychological Association Inc.},
abstract = {Many studies have revealed cultural differences in the way Easterners and Westerners attend to their visual world. It has been proposed that these cultural differences reflect the utilization of different processes, namely holistic processes by Easterners and analytical processes by Westerners. In the face processing literature, eye movement studies have revealed different fixation patterns for Easterners and Westerners that are congruent with a broader spread of attention by Easterners: compared with Westerners, Easterners tend to fixate more toward the center of the face even if they need the information provided by the eyes and mouth. Although this cultural difference could reflect an impact of culture on the visual mechanisms underlying face processing, this interpretation has been questioned by the finding that Easterners and Westerners do not differ on the location of their initial fixations, that is, those that have been shown as being sufficient for face recognition. Because a broader spread of attention is typically linked with the reduced sensitivity to higher spatial frequency, the present study directly compared the spatial frequency tuning of Easterners (Chinese) and Westerners (Canadians) in 2 face recognition tasks (Experiment 1 and 2), along with their general low-level sensitivity to spatial frequencies (Experiment 3). Consistent with our hypothesis, Chinese participants were tuned toward lower spatial frequencies than Canadians participants during the face recognition tasks, despite comparable low-level contrast sensitivity functions. These results strongly support the hypothesis that culture impacts the nature of the visual information extracted during face recognition. © 2016 American Psychological Association.},
note = {Publisher: American Psychological Association Inc.},
keywords = {adult, Canada, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, cultural factor, Culture, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, perception, physiology, Psychophysics, Social Perception, spatial frequency, Visual Perception, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Many studies have revealed cultural differences in the way Easterners and Westerners attend to their visual world. It has been proposed that these cultural differences reflect the utilization of different processes, namely holistic processes by Easterners and analytical processes by Westerners. In the face processing literature, eye movement studies have revealed different fixation patterns for Easterners and Westerners that are congruent with a broader spread of attention by Easterners: compared with Westerners, Easterners tend to fixate more toward the center of the face even if they need the information provided by the eyes and mouth. Although this cultural difference could reflect an impact of culture on the visual mechanisms underlying face processing, this interpretation has been questioned by the finding that Easterners and Westerners do not differ on the location of their initial fixations, that is, those that have been shown as being sufficient for face recognition. Because a broader spread of attention is typically linked with the reduced sensitivity to higher spatial frequency, the present study directly compared the spatial frequency tuning of Easterners (Chinese) and Westerners (Canadians) in 2 face recognition tasks (Experiment 1 and 2), along with their general low-level sensitivity to spatial frequencies (Experiment 3). Consistent with our hypothesis, Chinese participants were tuned toward lower spatial frequencies than Canadians participants during the face recognition tasks, despite comparable low-level contrast sensitivity functions. These results strongly support the hypothesis that culture impacts the nature of the visual information extracted during face recognition. © 2016 American Psychological Association.