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Dynamic Faces Distinguish N170 and VPP Activity in Face Perception

Poster Session E - Monday, March 9, 2026, 2:30 – 4:30 pm PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Gabrielle Gaubert¹ (), Natalie Ceballos¹, Reiko Graham¹; ¹Department of Psychology, Texas State University

ERP research has largely suggested that two ERP components associated with early face processing, the N170 and the vertex positive potential (VPP), are generated by the same neural sources and have identical functional properties despite differences in topographic distribution. However, given fMRI evidence of at least partially separable networks for dynamic and static face perception, the fact that most studies examining the N170 and VPP have used static faces may yield an incomplete picture of the relationship between these two components. To address this question, we examined ERP responses to static and dynamic displays of angry and fearful faces in 23 participants (13 female). Peak latencies and amplitudes were derived for each participant: the N170 was defined as the peak negativity between 150-240 ms at lateral occipital sites (PO7 and PO8), while the peak of the VPP was obtained from Cz during the same period. The N170 was larger and peaked earlier on the right relative to the left and amplitudes were sensitive to facial emotion (larger for fearful vs. angry faces at PO8). In contrast, VPP amplitudes were larger for angry faces and an effect of facial movement was observed, such that the VPP was enhanced for static vs. dynamic faces. Although preliminary, these findings challenge the notion that the N170 and VPP reflect the same neural processes; rather, they reflect the activity of both shared and complementary (but independent) sources during early face processing, depending on the nature of the display.

Topic Area: PERCEPTION & ACTION: Vision