Washington: If you think that memory fades away with age, you may be wrong, for a new study has revealed that people remember unfamiliar faces best between ages 30 and 34.
In online experiments with 44,680 volunteers, ages 10 to 70, researchers have found that face memory hits its prime shortly after age 30.
"Specialized face-processing in the brain may require an extended period of visual tuning during early adulthood to help individuals learn and recognize lots of different faces," Discovery News quoted Laura Germine of Harvard University, as saying.
The new findings make it evident that a brain structure critical for face recognition-the fusiform gyrus-undergoes reorganization at least through young adulthood, commented Isabel Gauthier of Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
"What is somewhat surprising is that there is still room for improvement after years of learning faces," said Gauthier.
Germine and colleagues created an online face-recognition test, using six computer-generated faces of young, adult white males as targets.
Participants first saw three differently aligned images of a target face, with each image shown for three seconds. They then viewed a lineup showing the target face and two other male faces posed in a new direction, and tried to pick the target.
After repeating this test for all six target faces, participants tried to identify target faces in 54 more lineups, with faces shown in novel views and under various lighting conditions.
Face recognition improved sharply on this test from age 10 to 20.
Performance increased at a slower pace after age 20, reaching a zenith of 83 percent correct responses for study volunteers between ages 30 and 34.
The findings were reported in the Cognition.
ANI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.