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Massed versus distributed exposure and imaging of faces: Changing the test view

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Abstract

This research examined the effects of massed versus distributed exposure and imaging of faces, and the effects of changing the study-to-test view on subsequent recognition performance. The massed procedure consisted of individual faces exposed once for 6 s, followed by a 30 s off period. The distributed procedure consisted of faces exposed three times for 2 s, followed by a 10 s off period after each exposure. During the off periods, groups of participants either imaged the previous face, imaged another face, or performed an irrelevant letter-search task. Results showed that distributed exposure and post-exposure imaging of target faces facilitated recognition, but these effects primarily occurred when the same facial view was given at both study and test. Recognition diminished when the target was presented in a different view at test, but when combined with distributed presentation and target imaging, performance was enhanced. Implications for suspect identification and recognition of other kinds of complex visual stimuli are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Dept., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 305 Carnegie Hall, 12180, Troy, NY

    Michael S. Wogalter & Stephen W. Jarrard

  2. University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia

    John A. Cayard

Authors
  1. Michael S. Wogalter
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  2. Stephen W. Jarrard
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  3. John A. Cayard
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Wogalter, M.S., Jarrard, S.W. & Cayard, J.A. Massed versus distributed exposure and imaging of faces: Changing the test view. Current Psychology 10, 281–288 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02686900

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