The ability to recognize
people is essential for effective social functioning. Faces, bodies, and voices
are fascinating stimuli that convey rich perceptual and social information. In
our lab, we aim to understand how perceptual, cognitive, and social systems
work together to accomplish the computationally challenging task of person
recognition. To achieve this, we conduct behavioral and neuroimaging
experiments and employ computational models, such as vision and language deep learning
algorithms, to uncover the mechanisms that allow humans to excel in this
complex task.
Understanding these
mechanisms not only enhances our knowledge of person recognition but also sheds
light on broader processes of learning and memory, as well as how social,
conceptual, and perceptual information interact to enable the recognition of
complex categories that convey rich information.