View-adaptation reveals coding of face pose along image, not object, axes

High-level adaptation effects reveal important features of the neural coding of objects and faces. View-adaptation in particular is a highly useful means of characterizing how depth rotation of the face is represented and therefore, how view-invariant recognition of the face may be achieved. In the present study, we used view adaptation to determine the extent to which depth rotations of a face are represented in an image-based or object-based manner. Specifically, we dissociated object-based axes from image-based axes via a 90° planar rotation of the adapting face and observed that participants’ responses pre- and post-adaptation are most consistent with an image-based representation of depth rotations of the face. We discuss our data in the context of previous results describing the impact of planar rotation on related aspects of face perception.

► Face viewpoint adaptation is shown to affect performance along the image axis of rotation. ► Viewpoint adaptation does not affect performance along object axes following planar rotation. ► In general, adaptation to face view along one cardinal axis does not affect the orthogonal axis.