Configural coding of facial expressions: The impact of inversion and photographic negative

In previous research we used the composite paradigm (Young, Hellawell, & Hay, 1987) to demonstrate that configural cues are important for interpreting facial expressions. However, different configural cues in face perception have been identified, including holistic processing (i.e., perception of facial features as a single gestalt) and second-order spatial relations (i.e., the spatial relationship between individual features). Previous research has suggested that the composite effect for facial identity operates at the level of holistic encoding. Here we show that the composite effect for facial expression has a similar perceptual basis by using different graphic manipulations (stimulus inversion and photographic negative) in conjunction with the composite paradigm. In relation to Bruce and Young's (1986) functional model of face recognition, a suitable level for the composite effect is a stage of front-end processing referred to as structural encoding, that is common to both facial identity and facial expression perception.