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According to the influential “Two Visual Pathways” hypothesis, the cortical visual system is segregated into two pathways, with the ventral, occipitotemporal pathway subserving object perception, and the dorsal, occipitoparietal pathway subserving the visuomotor control of action. However, growing evidence suggests that the dorsal pathway also plays a functional role in object perception. In the current article, we present evidence that the dorsal pathway contributes uniquely to the perception of a range of visuospatial attributes that are not redundant with representations in ventral cortex. We describe how dorsal cortex is recruited automatically during perception, even when no explicit visuomotor response is required. Importantly, we propose that dorsal cortex may selectively process visual attributes that can inform the perception of potential actions on objects and environments, and we consider plausible developmental and cognitive mechanisms that might give rise to these representations. As such, we consider whether naturalistic stimuli, such as real-world solid objects, might engage dorsal cortex more so than simplified or artificial stimuli such as images that do not afford action, and how the use of suboptimal stimuli might limit our understanding of the functional contribution of dorsal cortex to visual perception.

Face masks became prevalent across the globe as an efficient tool to stop the spread of COVID-19. A host of studies already demonstrated that masks lead to changes in facial identification and emotional expression processing. These changes were documented across ages and were consistent even with the increased exposure to masked faces. Notably, mask-wearing also changes the state of the observers in regard to their own bodies and other agents. Previous research has already demonstrated a plausible association between observers' states and their perceptual behaviors. Thus, an outstanding question is whether mask-wearing would alter face recognition abilities. To address this question, we conducted a set of experiments in which participants were asked to recognize non-masked faces (Experiment 1), masked faces (Experiment 2) and novel objects (Experiment 3) while they were either masked or unmasked. Mask wearing hindered face perception abilities but did not modulate object recognition ability. Finally, we demonstrated that the decrement in face perception ability relied on wearing the mask on distinctive facial features (Experiment 4). Together, these findings reveal a novel effect of mask-wearing on face recognition. We discuss these results considering the plausible effect of somatosensory stimulation on visual processing as well as the effect of involuntary perspective taking.

Face perception is considered a remarkable visual ability in humans that is subject to a prolonged developmental trajectory. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, mask-wearing has become mandatory for adults and children alike. Recent research shows that mask-wearing hinders face recognition abilities in adults, but it is unknown if the same holds true in school-age children in whom face perception is not fully developed. Here we tested children (n = 72, ages 6-14 years old) on the Cambridge Face Memory Test -- Kids (CFMT-K), a validated measure of face perception performance. Faces were presented with or without masks and across two orientations (upright/inverted). The inclusion of face masks led to a profound deficit in face perception abilities. This decrement was more pronounced in children compared to adults, but only when task difficulty was adjusted across the two age groups. Additionally, children exhibited reliable correlations between age and the CFMT-K score for upright faces for both the mask and no-mask conditions. Finally, as previously observed in adults, children also showed qualitative differences in the processing of masked versus non-masked faces. Specifically, holistic processing, a hallmark of face perception, was disrupted for masked faces as suggested by a reduced face-inversion effect. Together, these findings provide evidence for substantial quantitative and qualitative alterations in the processing of masked faces in school-age children.