TY - JOUR

T1 - Face recognition in beginning readers

T2 - Investigating the potential relationship between reading and face recognition during the first year of school

AU - Kühn, Christina D.

AU - Wilms, Inge L.

AU - Dalrymple, Kirsten A.

AU - Gerlach, Christian

AU - Starrfelt, Randi

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Reading acquisition has been suggested to drive the lateralization of the face processing system to the right cerebral hemisphere. To investigate whether this developmental co-dependency has a behavioural cost, at least in the short run, we tested whether learning to read reduced face recognition ability. In a longitudinal design, 82 children (5?7 years) were tested twice, at the beginning and end of their first year in school. In both sessions, visual letter recognition, word recognition, sentence reading, and immediate face recognition were tested. Reliable increases were found across all four measures, suggesting no absolute cost of literacy acquisition on face processing efficiency. In addition, we found no evidence suggesting a negative relationship between literacy acquisition and face recognition performance. Indeed, our results were most supportive of the null hypothesis suggesting independence in the development of literacy and face processing skills on the behavioural level.

AB - Reading acquisition has been suggested to drive the lateralization of the face processing system to the right cerebral hemisphere. To investigate whether this developmental co-dependency has a behavioural cost, at least in the short run, we tested whether learning to read reduced face recognition ability. In a longitudinal design, 82 children (5?7 years) were tested twice, at the beginning and end of their first year in school. In both sessions, visual letter recognition, word recognition, sentence reading, and immediate face recognition were tested. Reliable increases were found across all four measures, suggesting no absolute cost of literacy acquisition on face processing efficiency. In addition, we found no evidence suggesting a negative relationship between literacy acquisition and face recognition performance. Indeed, our results were most supportive of the null hypothesis suggesting independence in the development of literacy and face processing skills on the behavioural level.

KW - Faculty of Social Sciences

KW - Cognitive development

KW - face recognition

KW - letter naming

KW - reading

KW - word recognition

U2 - 10.1080/13506285.2021.1884151

DO - 10.1080/13506285.2021.1884151

M3 - Journal article

VL - 29

SP - 213

EP - 224

JO - Visual Cognition

JF - Visual Cognition

SN - 1350-6285

IS - 4

ER -