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Emergence of categorical face perception after extended early-onset blindness

Author(s)
Gandhi, Tapan K.; Swami, Piyush; Ganesh, Suma; Kalia, Amy Ashwin; Sinha, Pawan
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Abstract
It is unknown whether the ability to visually distinguish between faces and nonfaces is subject to a critical period during development. Would a congenitally blind child who gains sight several years after birth be able to acquire this skill? This question has remained unanswered because of the rarity of cases of late sight onset. We had the opportunity to work with five early-blind individuals who gained sight late in childhood after treatment for dense bilateral cataracts. We tested their ability to categorize patterns as faces, using natural images that spanned a spectrum of face semblance. The results show that newly sighted individuals are unable to distinguish between faces and nonfaces immediately after sight onset, but improve markedly in the following months. These results demonstrate preserved plasticity for acquiring face/ nonface categorization ability even late in life, and set the stage for investigating the informational and neural basis of this skill acquisition.
Date issued
2017-04
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/112315
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
Citation
Gandhi, Tapan K., et al. “Emergence of Categorical Face Perception after Extended Early-Onset Blindness.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 114, no. 23, June 2017, pp. 6139–43. © 2017 National Academy of Sciences
Version: Final published version
ISSN
0027-8424
1091-6490

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