Enhanced facial symmetry assessment in orthodontists

Jackson, Tate H.; Clark, Kait; Mitroff, Stephen R.

Abstract

Assessing facial symmetry is an evolutionarily important process, which suggests that individual differences in this ability should exist. As existing data are inconclusive, the current study explored whether a group trained in facial symmetry assessment, orthodontists, possessed enhanced abilities. Symmetry assessment was measured using face and nonface stimuli among orthodontic residents and two control groups: university participants with no symmetry training and airport security luggage screeners, a group previously shown to possess expert visual search skills unrelated to facial symmetry. Orthodontic residents were more accurate at assessing symmetry in both upright and inverted faces compared to both control groups, but not for nonface stimuli. These differences are not likely due to motivational biases or a speed-accuracy tradeoff-orthodontic residents were slower than the university participants but not the security screeners. Understanding such individual differences in facial symmetry assessment may inform the perception of facial attractiveness. © 2013 Taylor & Francis.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 30, 2013
• Publication Date: Aug 1, 2013
• Deposit Date: Aug 2, 2017
• Journal: Visual Cognition
• Print ISSN: 1350-6285
• Electronic ISSN: 1464-0716
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 7
• Pages: 838-852
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13506285.2013.832450
• Keywords: face, symmetry, individual differences, perceptual processing, orthodontics
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/927675
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13506285.2013.832450
• Contract Date: Aug 2, 2017