No difference found between cognitive processing of self-face (self-name) and other's face (other's name) using a priming task

This study investigated differences between cognitive processing of an individual's own face or name and another's face or name based on the interactive activation and competition (IAC) model of Burton, Bruce, & Johnston (1990). In Experiment 1, the self-face and faces of famous persons were used as target stimuli, and the self-face, self-name, faces or names of the famous persons were used as prime stimuli. In Experiment 2, self-name and names of famous persons were used as target stimuli. Participants were instructed to judge whether the target was male or female as quickly and accurately as possible. The results showed that reaction time for the targets was fastest when the prime was identical with the target in both experiments. This pattern was seen for both self and others. These results suggest that there is no difference between the cognitive processing of the self-face (name) and another's face (name). We proposed a modified framework for the role of face and name in the IAC model.