Face recognition: a model specific ability
In our everyday lives, we view it as a matter of course that different people are good at different things. It can be surprising, in this context, to learn that most of what is known about cognitive ability variation across individuals concerns the broadest of all cognitive abilities, often labeled...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2014-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00769/full |
| _version_ | 1819103494556090368 |
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| author | Jeremy B Wilmer Ken eNakayama Laura eGermine |
| author_facet | Jeremy B Wilmer Ken eNakayama Laura eGermine |
| author_sort | Jeremy B Wilmer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In our everyday lives, we view it as a matter of course that different people are good at different things. It can be surprising, in this context, to learn that most of what is known about cognitive ability variation across individuals concerns the broadest of all cognitive abilities, often labeled g. In contrast, our knowledge of specific abilities, those that correlate little with g, is severely constrained. Here, we draw upon our experience investigating an exceptionally specific ability, face recognition, to make the case that many specific abilities could easily have been missed. In making this case, we derive key insights from earlier false starts in the measurement of face recognition’s variation across individuals, and we highlight the convergence of factors that enabled the recent discovery that this variation is specific. We propose that the case of face recognition ability illustrates a set of tools and perspectives that could accelerate fruitful work on specific cognitive abilities. By revealing relatively independent dimensions of human ability, such work would enhance our capacity to understand the uniqueness of individual minds. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T01:51:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-aa21c3d7516a4c7f93c98e11e5b28c5a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T01:51:21Z |
| publishDate | 2014-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-aa21c3d7516a4c7f93c98e11e5b28c5a2022-12-21T18:42:55ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612014-10-01810.3389/fnhum.2014.0076999890Face recognition: a model specific abilityJeremy B Wilmer0Ken eNakayama1Laura eGermine2Wellesley CollegeHarvard UniversityHarvard Medical SchoolIn our everyday lives, we view it as a matter of course that different people are good at different things. It can be surprising, in this context, to learn that most of what is known about cognitive ability variation across individuals concerns the broadest of all cognitive abilities, often labeled g. In contrast, our knowledge of specific abilities, those that correlate little with g, is severely constrained. Here, we draw upon our experience investigating an exceptionally specific ability, face recognition, to make the case that many specific abilities could easily have been missed. In making this case, we derive key insights from earlier false starts in the measurement of face recognition’s variation across individuals, and we highlight the convergence of factors that enabled the recent discovery that this variation is specific. We propose that the case of face recognition ability illustrates a set of tools and perspectives that could accelerate fruitful work on specific cognitive abilities. By revealing relatively independent dimensions of human ability, such work would enhance our capacity to understand the uniqueness of individual minds.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00769/fullIntelligenceindividual differencesface recognitionIQmultiple intelligencesspecific ability |
| spellingShingle | Jeremy B Wilmer Ken eNakayama Laura eGermine Face recognition: a model specific ability Frontiers in Human Neuroscience Intelligence individual differences face recognition IQ multiple intelligences specific ability |
| title | Face recognition: a model specific ability |
| title_full | Face recognition: a model specific ability |
| title_fullStr | Face recognition: a model specific ability |
| title_full_unstemmed | Face recognition: a model specific ability |
| title_short | Face recognition: a model specific ability |
| title_sort | face recognition a model specific ability |
| topic | Intelligence individual differences face recognition IQ multiple intelligences specific ability |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00769/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jeremybwilmer facerecognitionamodelspecificability AT kenenakayama facerecognitionamodelspecificability AT lauraegermine facerecognitionamodelspecificability |