Is Male Adolescents’ Sexual Aggressiveness Better Explained by Prior Pornography Use or Callousness? A Brief Report. Aleksandar Štulhofer. Sexual Abuse, August 26, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063220952777
Abstract: To address growing concerns about the role of pornography use in adolescents’ sexual socialization, we explored the role of callousness, relative to pornography use, in male adolescents’ self-reported sexual aggressiveness. Two competing conceptualizations of this role were tested using data from a larger longitudinal research project on sexualized media use and adolescent well-being. Considering that callousness was assessed at only two waves (T2 and T4), 381 male Croatian adolescents (Mage = 15.88, SD = 0.49) who participated in both waves were included in the study. Generalized mixed effects regression modeling indicated that callousness, but not pornography use, significantly predicted sexual aggressiveness 11 months later. Callousness also moderated the association between pornography use and sexual aggressiveness, so that among participants who scored high in callousness, more frequent pornography use was related to lower odds of reporting sexual aggressiveness. High callousness is a risk factor for male adolescents’ sexual aggression and should be addressed in prevention programs.
Keywords: sexual aggression, adolescents, pornography use, callousness
Thursday, August 27, 2020
Toxoplasma gondii is reported to manipulate the behavior of its non-definitive hosts in ways that promote lethal interactions with the parasite's definitive feline hosts; infected hyenas have less fear of lions
Toxoplasma gondii infections are associated with boldness towards lions in wild hyena hosts. Eben Gering, View ORCID ProfileZachary M. Laubach, Patricia Weber, Gisela Soboll Hussey, Kenna D. S. Lehmann, Tracy M. Montgomery, Julie W. Turner, Wei Perng, Malit O. Pioon, Kay E. Holekamp, Thomas Getty. bioRxiv Aug27 2020. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.26.268805
Abstract: Toxoplasma gondii is widely reported to manipulate the behavior of its non-definitive hosts in ways that promote lethal interactions with the parasite's definitive feline hosts. Nonetheless, there is a lack of data on the association between T. gondii infection and costly behavioral interactions with felids in nature. Here, we report that three decades of field observations reveal T. gondii infected hyena cubs approach lions more closely than uninfected peers and have higher rates of lion mortality. Our findings support the hypothesis that T. gondii's manipulation of host boldness is an extended phenotype that promotes parasite transmission from intermediate hosts to feline predators. While upregulating hyena boldness toward lions might achieve this, it may also reflect a collateral influence of manipulative traits that evolved in other hosts (e.g., rodents). In either case, our findings corroborate the potential impacts of a globally distributed and generalist parasite (T. gondii) on fitness-related interaction with felids in a wild host.
Abstract: Toxoplasma gondii is widely reported to manipulate the behavior of its non-definitive hosts in ways that promote lethal interactions with the parasite's definitive feline hosts. Nonetheless, there is a lack of data on the association between T. gondii infection and costly behavioral interactions with felids in nature. Here, we report that three decades of field observations reveal T. gondii infected hyena cubs approach lions more closely than uninfected peers and have higher rates of lion mortality. Our findings support the hypothesis that T. gondii's manipulation of host boldness is an extended phenotype that promotes parasite transmission from intermediate hosts to feline predators. While upregulating hyena boldness toward lions might achieve this, it may also reflect a collateral influence of manipulative traits that evolved in other hosts (e.g., rodents). In either case, our findings corroborate the potential impacts of a globally distributed and generalist parasite (T. gondii) on fitness-related interaction with felids in a wild host.
COVID-19 lockdown policies & imprisonment: Psychological parallels can be drawn between the two forms of confinement, & ordinary citizens in lockdown have, to some extent, sensed the ‘pains of imprisonment’
Dhami, Mandeep K., Leonardo Weiss-Cohen, and Peter Ayton. 2020. “Are People Experiencing the ‘pains of Imprisonment’ During the Covid-19 Lockdown?.” PsyArXiv. August 27. doi:10.31234/osf.io/5xwbs
Abstract
Background: By the end of March 2020, more than a fifth of the world’s population was in various degrees of ‘lockdown’ in order to slow the spread of Covid-19. This enforced confinement led some to liken lockdown to imprisonment. We directly compared individual’s experiences of lockdown with prisoners’ experiences of imprisonment in order to determine whether psychological parallels can be drawn between these two forms of confinement.
Method: Online surveys of adults in lockdown in the UK (N = 300) and California (N = 450) were conducted four and five weeks into lockdown in each region, respectively. The UK data was then compared to Souza and Dhami’s (2010) sample of 267 medium security prisoners in England, and the Californian data was compared to Dhami et al.’s (2007) sample of 307 medium security Federal prisoners in California. We measured the effects of Group (Lockdown v. Prison) on five categories of dependent variables (i.e., activity, social contact, thoughts, feelings, and rule-breaking), controlling for demographic differences between the groups.
Results: In both regions, people in lockdown thought significantly less often about missing their freedom, as well as missing their family and friends living elsewhere than did first-time prisoners. However, people in lockdown in both regions were also significantly less engaged in a range of daily activities than were first-time prisoners. Additionally, in both regions, people in lockdown reported feeling more hopeless than first-time prisoners.
Conclusions: Although Governments introducing lockdown policies do not intend to punish their citizens as courts do when sending convicted offenders to prison, such policies can have unintended adverse consequences. Psychological parallels can be drawn between the two forms of confinement, and ordinary citizens in lockdown have, to some extent, sensed the ‘pains of imprisonment.’
Supplemental Materials osf.io/8gvmk/
Abstract
Background: By the end of March 2020, more than a fifth of the world’s population was in various degrees of ‘lockdown’ in order to slow the spread of Covid-19. This enforced confinement led some to liken lockdown to imprisonment. We directly compared individual’s experiences of lockdown with prisoners’ experiences of imprisonment in order to determine whether psychological parallels can be drawn between these two forms of confinement.
Method: Online surveys of adults in lockdown in the UK (N = 300) and California (N = 450) were conducted four and five weeks into lockdown in each region, respectively. The UK data was then compared to Souza and Dhami’s (2010) sample of 267 medium security prisoners in England, and the Californian data was compared to Dhami et al.’s (2007) sample of 307 medium security Federal prisoners in California. We measured the effects of Group (Lockdown v. Prison) on five categories of dependent variables (i.e., activity, social contact, thoughts, feelings, and rule-breaking), controlling for demographic differences between the groups.
Results: In both regions, people in lockdown thought significantly less often about missing their freedom, as well as missing their family and friends living elsewhere than did first-time prisoners. However, people in lockdown in both regions were also significantly less engaged in a range of daily activities than were first-time prisoners. Additionally, in both regions, people in lockdown reported feeling more hopeless than first-time prisoners.
Conclusions: Although Governments introducing lockdown policies do not intend to punish their citizens as courts do when sending convicted offenders to prison, such policies can have unintended adverse consequences. Psychological parallels can be drawn between the two forms of confinement, and ordinary citizens in lockdown have, to some extent, sensed the ‘pains of imprisonment.’
Supplemental Materials osf.io/8gvmk/
Non-Hispanic White Americans generally conceptualize multicultural policies in nonzero-sum terms; even so, sometimes diversity efforts are likely to elicit backlash from majority group members
Understanding Whites’ perceptions of multicultural policies: A (non)zero-sum framework? Taylor Ballinger & Jennifer Crocker. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Jul 30 2020. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000315
Abstract: Non-Hispanic Whites can perceive multicultural diversity policies as excluding their group and threatening their identity. However, increasing demographic diversity and the proliferation of organizational diversity efforts may have led Whites to view multicultural policies in more nonzero-sum ways. Reanalyzing nationally representative data, Study 1 showed that over the past 10 years, White Americans have become more supportive of diversity policies that explicitly recognize group memberships and have become less likely to view these policies as harmful to their group. Five experiments further showed that a multicultural (vs. colorblind) policy did not increase Whites’ experiences of social identity threat (Studies 2–6) or their perceived exclusion from a company’s diversity efforts (Studies 4–6). While a multicultural policy increased how much Whites believed an organization generally valued diversity and specifically valued the group differences of racial minorities, it did not decrease how much Whites believed their own group differences were valued (Studies 4–5). A multicultural policy only threatened Whites when group differences were narrowly defined to exclude their group (Study 6). An internal meta-analysis (N = 1,998) supported these conclusions and found they did not depend on need to belong, ethnic identification, political ideology, or the imagined presence of an outgroup coworker. These findings indicate that non-Hispanic White Americans generally conceptualize multicultural policies in nonzero-sum terms and suggest that (non)zero-sum beliefs may be key to understanding when diversity efforts are likely to elicit backlash from majority group members.
Abstract: Non-Hispanic Whites can perceive multicultural diversity policies as excluding their group and threatening their identity. However, increasing demographic diversity and the proliferation of organizational diversity efforts may have led Whites to view multicultural policies in more nonzero-sum ways. Reanalyzing nationally representative data, Study 1 showed that over the past 10 years, White Americans have become more supportive of diversity policies that explicitly recognize group memberships and have become less likely to view these policies as harmful to their group. Five experiments further showed that a multicultural (vs. colorblind) policy did not increase Whites’ experiences of social identity threat (Studies 2–6) or their perceived exclusion from a company’s diversity efforts (Studies 4–6). While a multicultural policy increased how much Whites believed an organization generally valued diversity and specifically valued the group differences of racial minorities, it did not decrease how much Whites believed their own group differences were valued (Studies 4–5). A multicultural policy only threatened Whites when group differences were narrowly defined to exclude their group (Study 6). An internal meta-analysis (N = 1,998) supported these conclusions and found they did not depend on need to belong, ethnic identification, political ideology, or the imagined presence of an outgroup coworker. These findings indicate that non-Hispanic White Americans generally conceptualize multicultural policies in nonzero-sum terms and suggest that (non)zero-sum beliefs may be key to understanding when diversity efforts are likely to elicit backlash from majority group members.
These results do not support the use of probiotic, prebiotic, and fermented food interventions for cognitive performance
Prebiotics, probiotics, fermented foods and cognitive outcomes: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Wolfgang Marx et al. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, August 27 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.036
Highlights
• Twenty-two studies investigated pre- and probiotics and fermented foods on cognition.
• No intervention had a significant effect on global or specific domains of cognition.
• Heterogeneity regarding the population, cognitive tests, and intervention identified.
Abstract: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate randomized controlled trials that investigated the use of probiotic, prebiotic, and fermented food interventions for cognitive performance. In total, 22 studies (n = 1551) were included that investigated probiotics (11 studies, n = 724), prebiotics (5 studies, n = 355), and fermented foods (6 studies, n = 472). Despite several individual studies (14 of 22) reporting significant improvements in specific cognitive domains, results of the pooled meta-analysis found no significant effect for any intervention for global cognition (Probiotics: g = 0.115, 95 %CI -0.041, 0.270, p = 0.148; Prebiotics: g = 0.077, 95 %CI -0.091, 0.246, p = 0.369; Fermented food: g = 0.164 95 %CI -0.017, 0.345, p = 0.076) or any individual cognitive domain. Most studies (16 of 22) had low risk of bias. These results do not support the use of probiotic, prebiotic, and fermented food interventions for cognitive outcomes. This may be due to the limited number of small and short-term studies as well clinical heterogeneity relating to the population, cognitive tests, and intervention. Therefore, further trials that investigate these interventions in clinical populations using adequately powered samples are warranted.
Keywords: Meta-analysisProbioticPrebioticCognitionFermented foods
Highlights
• Twenty-two studies investigated pre- and probiotics and fermented foods on cognition.
• No intervention had a significant effect on global or specific domains of cognition.
• Heterogeneity regarding the population, cognitive tests, and intervention identified.
Abstract: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate randomized controlled trials that investigated the use of probiotic, prebiotic, and fermented food interventions for cognitive performance. In total, 22 studies (n = 1551) were included that investigated probiotics (11 studies, n = 724), prebiotics (5 studies, n = 355), and fermented foods (6 studies, n = 472). Despite several individual studies (14 of 22) reporting significant improvements in specific cognitive domains, results of the pooled meta-analysis found no significant effect for any intervention for global cognition (Probiotics: g = 0.115, 95 %CI -0.041, 0.270, p = 0.148; Prebiotics: g = 0.077, 95 %CI -0.091, 0.246, p = 0.369; Fermented food: g = 0.164 95 %CI -0.017, 0.345, p = 0.076) or any individual cognitive domain. Most studies (16 of 22) had low risk of bias. These results do not support the use of probiotic, prebiotic, and fermented food interventions for cognitive outcomes. This may be due to the limited number of small and short-term studies as well clinical heterogeneity relating to the population, cognitive tests, and intervention. Therefore, further trials that investigate these interventions in clinical populations using adequately powered samples are warranted.
Keywords: Meta-analysisProbioticPrebioticCognitionFermented foods
Contrary to the generally accepted beliefs that wearing eyeglasses makes you look older & wearing sunglasses make you look younger, our results suggest that the effect of glasses on age perception is rather small
Do Glasses Modulate Age Perception? Nicolas M. Brunet, Jonathan Sharp. i-Perception, August 26, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1177/2041669520953457
Abstract: No formal studies have reported how glasses influence age perception, except for a London Vision Clinic survey that found that people over 45 look 5 or more years older when wearing eyeglasses. To investigate the effect of eyeglasses and sunglasses on age perception while controlling for age and interpersonal differences, we digitally manipulated the photographs of faces of 50 young adults, to create two age conditions (young and old) and three eyewear conditions (no glasses, eyeglasses, and sunglasses). Participants then estimated the age of the faces, displayed in random order. Contrary to the generally accepted beliefs that wearing eyeglasses makes you look older and wearing sunglasses make you look younger, our results suggest that the effect of glasses on age perception is rather small.
Keywords: faces, glasses, sunglasses, age perception, eyewear, eyeglasses
Abstract: No formal studies have reported how glasses influence age perception, except for a London Vision Clinic survey that found that people over 45 look 5 or more years older when wearing eyeglasses. To investigate the effect of eyeglasses and sunglasses on age perception while controlling for age and interpersonal differences, we digitally manipulated the photographs of faces of 50 young adults, to create two age conditions (young and old) and three eyewear conditions (no glasses, eyeglasses, and sunglasses). Participants then estimated the age of the faces, displayed in random order. Contrary to the generally accepted beliefs that wearing eyeglasses makes you look older and wearing sunglasses make you look younger, our results suggest that the effect of glasses on age perception is rather small.
Keywords: faces, glasses, sunglasses, age perception, eyewear, eyeglasses
The posture adopted during a task can improve cognitive performance with a better answer for arithmetic in the sitting position than during walking but more correctly recalled words while walking
Is it better to sit down, stand up or walk when performing memory and arithmetic activities? G. Abou Khalil, K. Doré-Mazars, P. Senot, D. P. Wang & A. Legrand. Experimental Brain Research (2020). Aug 26. https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00221-020-05858-z
Abstract: It is now accepted that performing a cognitive task impacts postural control (Polskaia and Lajoie 2016; Vuillerme et al. Neurosci Lett 291: 77–80, 2000). However, the reverse impact of posture on cognitive performance is less documented. The present study investigated performance in two cognitive activities (memory and arithmetic) performed in three different postural conditions (sitting, standing, and walking). Overall, our data suggest that the posture adopted during a task can improve cognitive performance with a better answer for arithmetic in the sitting position than during walking but more correctly recalled words while walking. This study, thus, suggests that there could be preferential association between cognition and posture, i.e., memory cognitive performance can be improved when walking and mental arithmetic while sitting.
Abstract: It is now accepted that performing a cognitive task impacts postural control (Polskaia and Lajoie 2016; Vuillerme et al. Neurosci Lett 291: 77–80, 2000). However, the reverse impact of posture on cognitive performance is less documented. The present study investigated performance in two cognitive activities (memory and arithmetic) performed in three different postural conditions (sitting, standing, and walking). Overall, our data suggest that the posture adopted during a task can improve cognitive performance with a better answer for arithmetic in the sitting position than during walking but more correctly recalled words while walking. This study, thus, suggests that there could be preferential association between cognition and posture, i.e., memory cognitive performance can be improved when walking and mental arithmetic while sitting.
An interquartile increase in local individualism offsets 41% of the effect of state lockdown orders on social distancing and reduces COVID-related charitable fundraising by 48%
Bian, Bo and Li, Jingjing and Xu, Ting and Foutz, Natasha, Individualism During Crises: Big Data Analytics of Collective Actions and Policy Compliance amid COVID-19 (June 5, 2020). SSRN: http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3620364
Abstract: Collective actions and government interventions are important measures to alleviate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, engagement in these actions and compliance to government policies vary significantly within the U.S. This study explains this heterogeneity through an understudied cultural dimension—individualism. Using novel big data analytics on a quarter petabyte of data, we present the first evidence on how individualism affects offline social distancing and online charitable crowdfunding around state-issued stay-at-home orders. Following economic history studies, we leverage GIS techniques to construct a U.S. county-level measure of individualism that traces the amounts of time counties spent at the frontier during the 1790-1890 period. We then use high-dimensional fixed-effect models, text mining, geo-analytics, and a novel migration-based identification strategy to analyze social distancing compliance and GoFundMe fundraising activities. Our analysis reveals that an interquartile increase in local individualism offsets 41% of the effect of state lockdown orders on social distancing and reduces COVID-related charitable fundraising by 48%. These effects are stronger in counties where social distancing generates larger externalities, suggesting our results are partly driven by individualism lowering the tendency to internalize the externality of their actions. Finally, we show that government interventions, such as stimulus checks, can mitigate the negative impact of individualism. Our study is the first to identify the downside of individualism during crises. It also demonstrates the importance of big data-driven, culture-aware policymaking.
Keywords: COVID-19, individualism, crises, social distancing, charitable crowdfunding, culture-aware policymaking, collective action
JEL Classification: D62, D64, D70, I10, I30
Abstract: Collective actions and government interventions are important measures to alleviate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, engagement in these actions and compliance to government policies vary significantly within the U.S. This study explains this heterogeneity through an understudied cultural dimension—individualism. Using novel big data analytics on a quarter petabyte of data, we present the first evidence on how individualism affects offline social distancing and online charitable crowdfunding around state-issued stay-at-home orders. Following economic history studies, we leverage GIS techniques to construct a U.S. county-level measure of individualism that traces the amounts of time counties spent at the frontier during the 1790-1890 period. We then use high-dimensional fixed-effect models, text mining, geo-analytics, and a novel migration-based identification strategy to analyze social distancing compliance and GoFundMe fundraising activities. Our analysis reveals that an interquartile increase in local individualism offsets 41% of the effect of state lockdown orders on social distancing and reduces COVID-related charitable fundraising by 48%. These effects are stronger in counties where social distancing generates larger externalities, suggesting our results are partly driven by individualism lowering the tendency to internalize the externality of their actions. Finally, we show that government interventions, such as stimulus checks, can mitigate the negative impact of individualism. Our study is the first to identify the downside of individualism during crises. It also demonstrates the importance of big data-driven, culture-aware policymaking.
Keywords: COVID-19, individualism, crises, social distancing, charitable crowdfunding, culture-aware policymaking, collective action
JEL Classification: D62, D64, D70, I10, I30
Blind spots in self-perceptions: Because individuals and others differ in their susceptibility to biases or motivations and in the information they have access to, self- and other-knowledge will vary by trait
Self–Other Knowledge Asymmetry (SOKA) Model. Kathryn L. Bollich-Ziegler. In The Oxford Handbook of Accurate Personality Judgment (edited by Tera D. Letzring and Jana S. Spain). Jul 2020, DOI 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190912529.013.10
Abstract: Despite the strong intuition that people know themselves well, much research in self-perception demonstrates the biases present when evaluating one’s own personality traits. What specifically are these blind spots in self-perceptions? Are self-perceptions always disconnected from reality? And under what circumstances might other people actually be more accurate about the self? The self–other knowledge asymmetry (SOKA) model suggests that because individuals and others differ in their susceptibility to biases or motivations and in the information they have access to, self- and other-knowledge will vary by trait. The present chapter outlines when and why other-perceptions are sometimes more accurate than self-perceptions, as well as when self-reports can be most trusted. Also discussed are next steps in the study of self- and other-knowledge, including practical, methodological, and interdisciplinary considerations and extensions. In sum, this chapter illustrates the importance of taking multiple perspectives in order to accurately understand a person.
Keywords: self-perception, self-knowledge, other-knowledge, personality, accuracy
Abstract: Despite the strong intuition that people know themselves well, much research in self-perception demonstrates the biases present when evaluating one’s own personality traits. What specifically are these blind spots in self-perceptions? Are self-perceptions always disconnected from reality? And under what circumstances might other people actually be more accurate about the self? The self–other knowledge asymmetry (SOKA) model suggests that because individuals and others differ in their susceptibility to biases or motivations and in the information they have access to, self- and other-knowledge will vary by trait. The present chapter outlines when and why other-perceptions are sometimes more accurate than self-perceptions, as well as when self-reports can be most trusted. Also discussed are next steps in the study of self- and other-knowledge, including practical, methodological, and interdisciplinary considerations and extensions. In sum, this chapter illustrates the importance of taking multiple perspectives in order to accurately understand a person.
Keywords: self-perception, self-knowledge, other-knowledge, personality, accuracy
Brain region becomes active in people born blind when they touch a 3D model of a face with their hands, suggesting that this area does not require visual experience to develop a preference for faces
Visual experience is not necessary for the development of face-selectivity in the lateral fusiform gyrus. N. Apurva Ratan Murty, Santani Teng, David Beeler, Anna Mynick, Aude Oliva, and Nancy Kanwisher. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, August 24, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2004607117
Significance: Here we show robust face-selectivity in the lateral fusiform gyrus of congenitally blind participants during haptic exploration of 3D-printed stimuli, indicating that neither visual experience, nor fovea-biased input, nor visual expertise is necessary for face-selectivity to arise in its characteristic location. Similar resting fMRI correlation fingerprints in individual blind and sighted participants suggest a role for long-range connectivity in the specification of the cortical locus of face-selectivity.
Abstract: The fusiform face area responds selectively to faces and is causally involved in face perception. How does face-selectivity in the fusiform arise in development, and why does it develop so systematically in the same location across individuals? Preferential cortical responses to faces develop early in infancy, yet evidence is conflicting on the central question of whether visual experience with faces is necessary. Here, we revisit this question by scanning congenitally blind individuals with fMRI while they haptically explored 3D-printed faces and other stimuli. We found robust face-selective responses in the lateral fusiform gyrus of individual blind participants during haptic exploration of stimuli, indicating that neither visual experience with faces nor fovea-biased inputs is necessary for face-selectivity to arise in the lateral fusiform gyrus. Our results instead suggest a role for long-range connectivity in specifying the location of face-selectivity in the human brain.
Keywords: face selectivitycongenital blindnessdevelopmenthapticsfusiform gyrus
Popular version: Face-specific brain area responds to faces even in people born blind - Study finds that the fusiform face area is active when blind people touch 3D models of faces. Anne Trafton. MIT News Office, August 26, 2020. https://news.mit.edu/2020/fusiform-brain-faces-blind-0826
Significance: Here we show robust face-selectivity in the lateral fusiform gyrus of congenitally blind participants during haptic exploration of 3D-printed stimuli, indicating that neither visual experience, nor fovea-biased input, nor visual expertise is necessary for face-selectivity to arise in its characteristic location. Similar resting fMRI correlation fingerprints in individual blind and sighted participants suggest a role for long-range connectivity in the specification of the cortical locus of face-selectivity.
Abstract: The fusiform face area responds selectively to faces and is causally involved in face perception. How does face-selectivity in the fusiform arise in development, and why does it develop so systematically in the same location across individuals? Preferential cortical responses to faces develop early in infancy, yet evidence is conflicting on the central question of whether visual experience with faces is necessary. Here, we revisit this question by scanning congenitally blind individuals with fMRI while they haptically explored 3D-printed faces and other stimuli. We found robust face-selective responses in the lateral fusiform gyrus of individual blind participants during haptic exploration of stimuli, indicating that neither visual experience with faces nor fovea-biased inputs is necessary for face-selectivity to arise in the lateral fusiform gyrus. Our results instead suggest a role for long-range connectivity in specifying the location of face-selectivity in the human brain.
Keywords: face selectivitycongenital blindnessdevelopmenthapticsfusiform gyrus
Popular version: Face-specific brain area responds to faces even in people born blind - Study finds that the fusiform face area is active when blind people touch 3D models of faces. Anne Trafton. MIT News Office, August 26, 2020. https://news.mit.edu/2020/fusiform-brain-faces-blind-0826
More than 20 years ago, neuroscientist Nancy Kanwisher and others discovered that a small section of the brain located near the base of the skull responds much more strongly to faces than to other objects we see. This area, known as the fusiform face area, is believed to be specialized for identifying faces.
Now, in a surprising new finding, Kanwisher and her colleagues have shown that this same region also becomes active in people who have been blind since birth, when they touch a three-dimensional model of a face with their hands. The finding suggests that this area does not require visual experience to develop a preference for faces.
“That doesn’t mean that visual input doesn’t play a role in sighted subjects — it probably does,” she says. “What we showed here is that visual input is not necessary to develop this particular patch, in the same location, with the same selectivity for faces. That was pretty astonishing.”
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