Research summary
In the context of globalization and multiculturalism, it is useful to understand how a person’s cultural upbringing may influence how they perceive other people’s faces. Much research along these lines has been conducted on individuals who can be classified as “WEIRD” (for Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic). But these individuals represent just five per cent of the world’s population, and the conclusions drawn from studying them may not apply to all individuals.
Dr. Caroline Blais, Canada Research Chair in Cognitive and Social Vision, is trying to uncover the diversity of visual strategies in how people recognize or interpret faces (face perception). She and her research team are introducing technologies to include more diverse study participants and gathering data on visual processing in face perception to deepen our grasp of individual variations. In addition, they are measuring global norms for facial expressivity. Their research will transform our understanding of human cognition and visual perception.