Mechanisms of ensemble perception in a complex world: developmental and evolutionary foundations.

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18H03506
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 90030:Cognitive science-related
• Research Institution: Japan Women's University
• Principal Investigator: IMURA Tomoko 日本女子大学, 人間社会学部, 准教授 (00552423)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 白井 述 新潟大学, 人文社会科学系, 研究教授 (50554367) ; 上田 祥行 京都大学, こころの未来研究センター, 特定講師 (80582494) ; 友永 雅己 京都大学, 霊長類研究所, 教授 (70237139)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: アンサンブル知覚 / 統計情報 / 発達 / 進化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The mechanism for perceiving the "summary" of multiple objects, such as grasping the overall atmosphere from the facial expressions of multiple people, is called ensemble perception. In this study, we examined the mechanism underlying ensemble perception in children and chimpanzees, and discussed from a developmental and evolutionary perspective. We found that the ensemble perception of facial expression began to develop in young children around the age of four or five, but it was more difficult for children to average overall than for adults. We have also shown that color ensemble perception changes developmentally in children from 6 to 12 years, similar to the ensemble perception of facial expression, and that there may be a common mechanism between chimpanzees and humans.

Free Research Field

実験心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

私たちは、群衆の表情から全体の雰囲気を読み取ることができる。このように複数の物体の特徴の概要を瞬時に把握する仕組みをアンサンブル知覚という。本研究では、幼児やヒト以外の動物のアンサンブル知覚を調べることにより、この仕組みが発達や進化の過程でどのように生じたのかについて検討した。幼児では表情や色のアンサンブル知覚の証拠は得られたものの、成人に比べると正確でないこと、チンパンジーも大きさや色のような単純な特徴の概要を知覚することが示された。