Study: Recognition Of Faces Peaks at 30

Our ability to recognize faces improves as we age, according to a new study conducted by Harvard scientists and published online in the journal Cognition earlier this month.

The results are surprising in the context of other studies on cognitive function because many such abilities—including speech perception—peak in the early 20s when brain development ends, according to Laura T. Germine, the study’s lead author.

Germine and her fellow researchers used data from over 60,000 participants who voluntarily tested their abilities using an online face memory test. The volunteers were asked to recognize the computer-generated faces of six young, adult white males.

In subsequent experiments, subjects were asked to identify photographs of women and children as well. The results were comparable regardless of the sex or age of the person in the image.

The researchers compared the recognition memory for faces to that of names, an ability which, on average ,peaks at 23 years.

“Not every cognitive ability is created equal,” said Germine, a graduate student in the Harvard psychology department.

Unlike remembering unfamiliar names, recognizing faces becomes easier as people approach their 30s. Germine said she thinks that this occurs because people are exposed to more faces as they become older, thus fine-tuning their visual recognition.

The peak was comparable for both male and female participants, although the study did not take into account the ethnicity of its participants. Furthermore, the study reveals that individuals on either side the peak age have similar capacities to recognize faces. For instance, performance at 16 is comparable to performance at 65.

Germine added that she would be interested in seeing whether the peak in the 30s applies to other social cognitive abilities, such as voice recognition.

—Staff writer Kelly K. W. Lam can be reached at kellylam@college.harvard.edu.