The Neuropsychology of Face Processing during Infancy and Childhood

Abstract

The human face is typically one of babies’ first sights following birth, and from this time they show an interest in orienting to facelike patterns. Yet in spite of this impressive early competency, face processing follows a protracted developmental course before becoming adultlike. This chapter describes the development of face processing abilities and outlines theories of the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying developmental change. It is concluded that the cortical specialization for face processing observed in adults is achieved through a gradual specialization of an initially more general-purpose processing system.