A LOOK INTO THE EFFECTS OF GENDER, ATTRACTION AND DISTINCTION ON FACIAL RECOGNITION

This study utilised three components of face processing proposed by Bruce and Young (1986): Facial recognition, Semantic Information and Name Recall. This study aimed to fill gaps in the current face processing research with regards to Gender, Attractiveness and Distinctiveness. It was hypothesised that Women would perform better on all three areas of face processing, higher levels of Distinctiveness would lead to better performance on all three areas and that the same would also be true for Attractiveness levels. Participants (N=189; Males=45, Females=144) ranging from age 19-69 (M=36.1, SD=12.9), were shown a series of previously unfamiliar faces along with semantic information and a name for each of them, they were asked to rate the photographs on their Attractiveness and Distinctiveness out of 10. In the recall phase of testing, participants were shown some of the previous faces alongside new faces and asked to recall recognition, semantic information and the name. Data was tested using two Binary Logistic Regressions and a Multiple Linear Regression. It was found that Women performed significantly better on all areas, higher levels of Attractiveness were also found to predict significantly better performance on the three areas, with predictions explaining the most variance in name recall. These findings supported the hypothesis and also previous research. However, Distinctiveness was not found to be a significant predictor of recognition or of semantic information recall accuracy. It was a significant predictor of name recall, however the effect was in the opposite direction than expected, with a decrease in Distinctiveness leading to increased accuracy. This did not support previous research or the hypothesis. Limitations of the study and implications for future research are discussed. Keywords: Facial Recognition; Attractiveness; Distinctiveness; Gender Differences; Name Recall; Semantic Information; Face Processing