Ability to recognize faces shaped through repeat exposure

Researchers have long thought that being able to recognize faces is innate in humans and other primates, and that something in our brains just knows how to do this from birth. But a new brain imaging study suggests otherwise - macaques need to have been exposed to faces from a young age to be able to recognize faces. The findings shed light on a range of neuro-developmental conditions, including those in which people can't distinguish between different faces or autism, which is marked by aversion to looking at faces. By 200 days of age, macaques form clusters of neurons responsible for recognizing faces in an area of the brain called the superior temporal sulcus. To better understand the basis for facial recognition, Harvard Medical School researchers raised two groups of macaques.