Abstract:
Differences in face recognition between extraverts and introverts as well as emotionally negative and emotionally positive individuals were investigated. Personality was measured through the administration of the Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2), and face recognition was measured through the administration of the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT). A non-significant correlation between extraversion and face recognition suggests the two variables are unrelated. A marginally significant correlation between negative emotionality and face recognition was negative, which suggests increased negative emotionality is related to decreased face recognition. Experimental manipulations were used to differentially impact the performance of extraverts and introverts in Experiment 1 and emotionally negative and emotionally positive individuals in Experiment 2. In Experiment 1, participants listened to music that was either neutral or exciting (non-neutral), and in Experiment 2, participants watched a video that was either neutral or tense. While neither extraverts and introverts nor emotionally negative and emotionally positive individuals were differentially impacted by the experimental manipulations, the results indicated the experimental manipulations had an overall effect on face recognition for all subjects. Specifically, subjects placed in the non-neutral conditions demonstrated worse face recognition than subjects placed in the neutral conditions. Further testing is warranted to better understand the relationship between negative emotionality and face recognition as well as the impact of the experimental manipulations used in the present study on face recognition.
