Facial motion as a cue to identity.

This chapter examines the role of motion in the recognition of familiar faces. This issue is interesting since the majority of studies in face processing have used static images (for example, photographs, slides) of faces. However, most of our experience with faces is with live moving faces. Recent research suggests that seeing a familiar face move aids the recognition of identity, especially when viewing conditions are problematic. Most benefit, for recognition, is gained when the observed motion retains its original characteristics. Research has also suggested a role for motion in building new representations of unfamiliar faces. We consider both the practical applications and theoretical interpretations of our patterns of results and speculate about the relevance of these findings for the understanding of character, film and fame.