Assessing Face Recognition Abilities: Exploring the link between PI20, CFMT and a foraging task

Abstract

Being able to recognize and identify faces is an important part of functioning in day-to-day life. However, people differ in their ability to do so. No official diagnostic criteria exist for deviations in face recognition abilities, neither for people who are unusually poor at recognizing faces nor for people with superior ability. Several types of tasks that assess face processing abilities have however been developed. The object of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the self-assessment questionnaire PI20, as well as examining its correlation with the objective facial memory measure CFMT and a foraging task for faces and objects. Internal validity for PI20 was high, and factor analysis supported a single factor model. Results support the validity and reliability of the Icelandic version of PI20. A connection was found between scores on PI20 and performance on CFMT, as well as between scores on PI20 and performance on a face foraging task, even when controlling for other variables. These findings indicate that people have some insight into their face recognition abilities. Results further imply that PI20 taps into various aspects of face processing, including face memory (CFMT) and face discrimination ability (face foraging), while these performance-based tasks were themselves not as correlated. This implies that face recognition in daily life is not solely based on facial memory, but also on more perceptual aspects. This study is important for the advancement of research on face recognition difficulties, as well as providing support for the use of the Icelandic version of PI20.