Studying at York
Face Perception - PSY00029M
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 2 2024-25 |
Module aims
How do people perceive your face? In fact, decisions are made about our faces all the time. People can identify who we are (not only our friends and family, but also people who don’t know us, for example in photo-ID). We can also be perceived as members of social groups, being variously attractive, experiencing particular emotions, having certain personalities and so forth. While some aspects of our faces can carry verifiable signals (e.g. health status) others seem to be based in social conventions. Furthermore, when face perception goes wrong, there can be catastrophic consequences – for example in cases where eyewitness testimony convicts innocent people.
In this course, we will examine the different sources of information available in a face. We will look at evidence from across a wide variety of methods to understand how research from different disciplines can converge to enhance our understanding of face perception. We will establish what is known about the human face perception system, alongside reviewing the consequences for our daily lives.
Module learning outcomes
- Describe the different sources of information available within faces
- Give an account of the major findings from across different disciplines
- Understand the relationship between biological and social factors involved in face perception
- Evaluate the implications of these findings for psychology and for society, and routes to evidence-based policy
- Discuss the impact of technological advances on face perception research as it applies in forensic and social media settings.
Module content
- Recognising the people we know
- Recognising people we don’t know: photo-ID
- Recognising people within and outside our social groups
- Facial expressions: how reliably can we judge someone’s emotion?
- The biological background – brains and genes
- Eye-witness testimony 1: How reliable?
- Eye-witness testimony 2: Can psychologists help?
- First impressions – why are we so quick to judge someone?
- Facial attractiveness
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
The marks on all assessed work will be provided on e-vision
Indicative reading
Reading lists for each topic will be made available via the course home page. Key readings for the main lectures and seminars are available via the University library’s e-journals. The main reading involves primary source material and a published review paper for each topic.
An overview of course topics can be found in this textbook, which can be useful if you need to look up something or want a broader perspective on a particular issue:
Bruce, V. & Young, A. (2012). Face perception. London: Psychology Press.