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.
Duncan, J.; Royer, J.; Dugas, G.; Blais, C.; Fiset, D.
Revisiting the Link Between Horizontal Tuning and Face Processing Ability With Independent Measures Journal Article
In: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 2019, ISSN: 00961523, (Publisher: American Psychological Association).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Depth Perception, Facial Recognition, human, Humans, neuropsychological test, Neuropsychological Tests, perception, physiology, Psychophysics, Social Perception, Space Perception, Young Adult
@article{duncan_revisiting_2019,
title = {Revisiting the Link Between Horizontal Tuning and Face Processing Ability With Independent Measures},
author = {J. Duncan and J. Royer and G. Dugas and C. Blais and D. Fiset},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85074117809&doi=10.1037%2fxhp0000684&partnerID=40&md5=b88c8d1ad6db16940a7782d664414dae},
doi = {10.1037/xhp0000684},
issn = {00961523},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance},
publisher = {American Psychological Association},
abstract = {In recent years, horizontal spatial information has received attention for its role in face perception. One study, for instance, has reported an association between horizontal tuning for faces and face identification ability measured within the same task. A possible consequence of this is that the correlation could have been overestimated. In the present study, we wanted to reexamine this question. We first measured face processing ability on the Cambridge Face Memory Test±, the Cambridge Face Perception Test, and the Glasgow Face Matching Test. A single ability score was extracted using a principal components analysis. In a separate task, participants also completed an identification task in which faces were randomly filtered on a trial basis using orientation bubbles. This task allowed the extraction of individual orientation profiles and horizontal tuning scores for faces. We then measured the association between horizontal tuning for faces and the face-processing ability score and observed a significant positive correlation. Importantly, this relation could not be accounted for by other factors such as object-processing ability, horizontal tuning for cars, or greater sensitivity to horizontal gratings. Our data give further credence to the hypothesis that horizontal facial structure plays a crucial role in face processing. © 2019 American Psychological Association.},
note = {Publisher: American Psychological Association},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Depth Perception, Facial Recognition, human, Humans, neuropsychological test, Neuropsychological Tests, perception, physiology, Psychophysics, Social Perception, Space Perception, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
In recent years, horizontal spatial information has received attention for its role in face perception. One study, for instance, has reported an association between horizontal tuning for faces and face identification ability measured within the same task. A possible consequence of this is that the correlation could have been overestimated. In the present study, we wanted to reexamine this question. We first measured face processing ability on the Cambridge Face Memory Test±, the Cambridge Face Perception Test, and the Glasgow Face Matching Test. A single ability score was extracted using a principal components analysis. In a separate task, participants also completed an identification task in which faces were randomly filtered on a trial basis using orientation bubbles. This task allowed the extraction of individual orientation profiles and horizontal tuning scores for faces. We then measured the association between horizontal tuning for faces and the face-processing ability score and observed a significant positive correlation. Importantly, this relation could not be accounted for by other factors such as object-processing ability, horizontal tuning for cars, or greater sensitivity to horizontal gratings. Our data give further credence to the hypothesis that horizontal facial structure plays a crucial role in face processing. © 2019 American Psychological Association.
3.
Willenbockel, V.; Fiset, D.; Chauvin, A.; Blais, C.; Arguin, M.; Tanaka, J. W.; Bub, D. N.; Gosselin, F.
Does Face Inversion Change Spatial Frequency Tuning? Journal Article
In: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 122–135, 2010, ISSN: 00961523 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, article, association, attention, Cues, Depth Perception, Face, face perception, female, human, Humans, identification, inversion effect, male, perception, Perceptual Masking, reaction time, Space Perception, spatial frequency, vision, Visual Perception, Young Adult
@article{willenbockel_does_2010,
title = {Does Face Inversion Change Spatial Frequency Tuning?},
author = {V. Willenbockel and D. Fiset and A. Chauvin and C. Blais and M. Arguin and J. W. Tanaka and D. N. Bub and F. Gosselin},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-76049110562&doi=10.1037%2fa0016465&partnerID=40&md5=d855c4148d6a6f32d96ab71018569d7c},
doi = {10.1037/a0016465},
issn = {00961523 (ISSN)},
year = {2010},
date = {2010-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance},
volume = {36},
number = {1},
pages = {122–135},
abstract = {The authors examined spatial frequency (SF) tuning of upright and inverted face identification using an SF variant of the Bubbles technique (F. Gosselin & P. G. Schyns, 2001). In Experiment 1, they validated the SF Bubbles technique in a plaid detection task. In Experiments 2a-c, the SFs used for identifying upright and inverted inner facial features were investigated. Although a clear inversion effect was present (mean accuracy was 24% higher and response times 455 ms shorter for upright faces), SF tunings were remarkably similar in both orientation conditions (mean r = .98; an SF band of 1.9 octaves centered at 9.8 cycles per face width for faces of about 6°). In Experiments 3a and b, the authors demonstrated that their technique is sensitive to both subtle bottom-up and top-down induced changes in SF tuning, suggesting that the null results of Experiments 2a-c are real. The most parsimonious explanation of the findings is provided by the quantitative account of the face inversion effect: The same information is used for identifying upright and inverted inner facial features, but processing has greater sensitivity with the former. © 2010 American Psychological Association.},
keywords = {adult, article, association, attention, Cues, Depth Perception, Face, face perception, female, human, Humans, identification, inversion effect, male, perception, Perceptual Masking, reaction time, Space Perception, spatial frequency, vision, Visual Perception, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The authors examined spatial frequency (SF) tuning of upright and inverted face identification using an SF variant of the Bubbles technique (F. Gosselin & P. G. Schyns, 2001). In Experiment 1, they validated the SF Bubbles technique in a plaid detection task. In Experiments 2a-c, the SFs used for identifying upright and inverted inner facial features were investigated. Although a clear inversion effect was present (mean accuracy was 24% higher and response times 455 ms shorter for upright faces), SF tunings were remarkably similar in both orientation conditions (mean r = .98; an SF band of 1.9 octaves centered at 9.8 cycles per face width for faces of about 6°). In Experiments 3a and b, the authors demonstrated that their technique is sensitive to both subtle bottom-up and top-down induced changes in SF tuning, suggesting that the null results of Experiments 2a-c are real. The most parsimonious explanation of the findings is provided by the quantitative account of the face inversion effect: The same information is used for identifying upright and inverted inner facial features, but processing has greater sensitivity with the former. © 2010 American Psychological Association.
4.
Blais, C.; Arguin, M.; Marleau, I.
Orientation invariance in visual shape perception Journal Article
In: Journal of Vision, vol. 9, no. 2, 2009, ISSN: 15347362.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, article, association, attention, Cues, Depth Perception, Form Perception, human, Humans, methodology, Orientation, Pattern Recognition, Photic Stimulation, photostimulation, physiology, Rotation, vision, Visual Perception, Young Adult
@article{blais_orientation_2009,
title = {Orientation invariance in visual shape perception},
author = {C. Blais and M. Arguin and I. Marleau},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-60649103374&doi=10.1167%2f9.2.14&partnerID=40&md5=1fb771ae6c96e3a0ad4e92a307a12d1d},
doi = {10.1167/9.2.14},
issn = {15347362},
year = {2009},
date = {2009-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Vision},
volume = {9},
number = {2},
abstract = {To assess directly the orientation-invariance of specific shape representation stages in humans, we examined whether rotation (on the image plane or in depth) modulates the conjunction and linear non-separability effects in a shape visual search task (M. Arguin & D. Saumier, 2000; D. Saumier & M. Arguin, 2003). A series of visual search experiments involving simple 2D or 3D shapes show that these target type effects are entirely resistant to both planar and depth rotations. It was found however, that resistance to depth rotation only occurred when the 3D shapes had a richly textured surface but not when they had a uniform surface, with shading as the only reliable depth cue. The results also indicate that both planar and depth rotations affected performance indexes not concerned with the target type effects (i.e. overall RTs and magnitude of display size and target presence effects). Overall, the present findings suggest that the shape representations subtending the conjunction and linear non-separability effects are invariant across both planar and depth rotations whereas other shape representation stages involved in the task are orientation-specific. © ARVO.},
keywords = {adult, article, association, attention, Cues, Depth Perception, Form Perception, human, Humans, methodology, Orientation, Pattern Recognition, Photic Stimulation, photostimulation, physiology, Rotation, vision, Visual Perception, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
To assess directly the orientation-invariance of specific shape representation stages in humans, we examined whether rotation (on the image plane or in depth) modulates the conjunction and linear non-separability effects in a shape visual search task (M. Arguin & D. Saumier, 2000; D. Saumier & M. Arguin, 2003). A series of visual search experiments involving simple 2D or 3D shapes show that these target type effects are entirely resistant to both planar and depth rotations. It was found however, that resistance to depth rotation only occurred when the 3D shapes had a richly textured surface but not when they had a uniform surface, with shading as the only reliable depth cue. The results also indicate that both planar and depth rotations affected performance indexes not concerned with the target type effects (i.e. overall RTs and magnitude of display size and target presence effects). Overall, the present findings suggest that the shape representations subtending the conjunction and linear non-separability effects are invariant across both planar and depth rotations whereas other shape representation stages involved in the task are orientation-specific. © ARVO.