Face Processing

Human adults observe and recognize many other conspecifics' faces on a daily basis. This automated process is so efficient that people generally do not consider the intricacy of this task or the complicated neural bases that underlie this ability, which is so crucial for social interaction. Research dating back to the 1960s has shown that newborn infants demonstrate a visual preference for human faces over other complex stimuli and that the face-processing system develops rapidly during the first year of life. The system continues to mature and develop into adulthood with changes occurring throughout infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Behavioral, neurophysiological, and clinical studies conducted over the past 50 years have contributed to our understanding of the development of face-processing system.