Editing Face perception (section)

{{Short description|Cognitive process of visually interpreting the human face}}
{{About|the cognitive process|the psychological phenomena of seeing faces in inanimate objects|Pareidolia|computer-based facial perception|Facial recognition system}}

[[File:Pullikkarimkali Face.jpg|alt=Close-up photograph of an adult male's face, covered in make-up.|thumb|An adult male's face with make-up]]
{{Cognitive}}
'''Facial perception''' is an individual's understanding and interpretation of the [[face]]. Here, [[perception]] implies the presence of [[consciousness]] and hence excludes automated [[facial recognition system]]s. Although facial recognition is found in other species,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pavelas|date=19 April 2021|title=Facial Recognition is an Easy Task for Animals|url=https://skybiometry.com/facial-recognition-easy-task-animals/|url-status=live|website=Sky Biometry|access-date=19 April 2021|archive-date=19 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419202741/https://skybiometry.com/facial-recognition-easy-task-animals/}}</ref> this article focuses on facial perception in humans.

The perception of facial features is an important part of [[social cognition]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Krawczyk|first=Daniel C.|title=Reasoning; The Neuroscience of How We Think|publisher=Academic Press|year=2018|isbn=978-0-12-809285-9|pages=283–311}}</ref> Information gathered from the face helps people understand each other's [[Identity (social science)|identity]], what they are thinking and feeling, anticipate their actions, [[Emotion recognition|recognize their emotions]], build connections, and communicate through body language. Developing facial recognition is a necessary building block for complex societal constructs. Being able to perceive identity, mood, age, sex, and race lets people mold the way we interact with one another, and understand our immediate surroundings.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal|last1=Quinn|first1=Kimberly A.|last2=Macrae|first2=C. Neil|date=November 2011|title=The face and person perception: Insights from social cognition: Categorizing faces|journal=British Journal of Psychology|volume=102|issue=4|pages=849–867|doi=10.1111/j.2044-8295.2011.02030.x|pmid=21988388}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{cite journal|last1=Young|first1=Andrew W.|last2=Haan|first2=Edward H. F.|last3=Bauer|first3=Russell M.|date=March 2008|title=Face perception: A very special issue|journal=Journal of Neuropsychology|volume=2|issue=1|pages=1–14|doi=10.1348/174866407x269848|pmid=19334301}}</ref><ref name=":42">{{cite book|last1=Kanwisher|first1=Nancy|title=Handbook of Neuroscience for the Behavioral Sciences|last2=Yovel|first2=Galit|year=2009|isbn=978-0-470-47850-9|chapter=Face Perception|doi=10.1002/9780470478509.neubb002043}}</ref>

Though facial perception is mainly considered to stem from visual intake, studies have shown that even people born blind can learn face perception without vision.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Likova|first=Lora T.|date=19 April 2021|title=Learning face perception without vision: Rebound learning effect and hemispheric differences in congenital vs late-onset blindness|journal=IS&T Int Symp Electron Imaging|volume=2019 (2019): 2371-23713|issue=12|pages=237-1-237-13|doi=10.2352/ISSN.2470-1173.2019.12.HVEI-237|pmid=31633079|pmc=6800090}}</ref> Studies have supported the notion of a specialized mechanism for perceiving faces.<ref name=":42" />