Task and Stimulus Normalization Effects in Face Perception: an fMRI Study
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Previous research has suggested that representations in a high level face-selective area (FFA) in the ventral visual cortex may be selectively recruited for tasks requiring individuation of faces, whereas earlier visual regions are recruited regardless of task. We replicated and extended a prior fMRI study and found a more parsimonious explanation - task complexity/difficulty seems to enhance decodable face information content across multiple cortical areas, including FFA, OFA, and some early visual regions.