The role of individual differences in face recognition and mental imagery on face-memory specificity and inhibition

Abstract

Our previous research found that long-term facial memory specificity depends on detailed memory for individual faces and unintentional inhibition of closely related faces. The current study investigated whether individual differences in facial recognition and mental imagery ability influenced this inhibitory processing in facial memory specificity. During the study phase, participants viewed neutral Caucasian faces. During the test phase, participants were presented with old faces, related faces (created by morphing faces along an old–new continuum in steps of 20 %), and new faces and made “old”–“new” recognition judgments. The Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) and the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT) were used to assess mental imagery and face recognition ability, respectively. We found evidence for detailed memory retrieval (i.e., the ability to discriminate between old and highly related face morphs) as the “old” response rate for old faces was significantly greater than that of 20 % morphs. Furthermore, there was evidence for memory inhibition as the “old” response rate for 20 % morphs was significantly lower than that of 40 % morphs (replicating our previous findings). CFMT scores were significantly correlated with detailed memory retrieval but were not associated with inhibition. VVIQ scores were not associated with either detailed memory retrieval or inhibition. These results support the role of inhibition in memory for faces and further suggest that these processes are unintentional.