Abstract: The event-related potentials (ERPs) technology was used to examine the neural basis of recognition memory toward female facial attractiveness based on a study-recognition experiment paradigm. Data from 38 participants (21 male, 17 female) were included in the analysis. Gender differences indicated that attractive female faces elicited more enhanced early ERP components (N90, N220, N300) for male than female participants during recognition memory task. This suggested that female differed from male in gene, sex hormone levels, brain structure and functions. For males, implicit memory has significant effect on N80 and LPC (300?600 ms) components, while explicit memory has significant effect on P170 and LPC (400?600 ms) components. The strongest effect of implicit memory appeared in the central and parietal electrodes, and so did in the prefrontal and frontal electrodes for explicit memory. The results suggest that male showed a stronger effect of memory bias toward female facial attractiveness than female, and the neural correlates of implicit and explicit memory have been dissociated within a single recognition task.

Key words: female face, attractiveness, ERP, explicit memory, implicit memory

摘要： 运用事件相关电位(ERPs)技术, 采用学习-再认的实验范式, 考察38名大学生(21名男生和17名女生)对女性面孔吸引力再认记忆的认知神经机制。结果发现大学生对女性面孔吸引力的记忆偏好存在性别差异, 再认任务中有吸引力的女性面孔诱发了男性更负的早期ERP成分(N90, N220和N300), 而对女性的效应并不显著。这可能与两性在遗传基因、性激素、大脑结构与功能上的不同有关。进一步对男性的记忆特点进行分析发现, 内隐记忆效应在N80和LPC(300~600 ms)上表现显著, 其最强效应出现在中央区和顶区; 外显记忆效应在P170和LPC(400~600 ms)上表现显著, 其最强效应出现在前额区和额区。表明男性对有吸引力女性面孔的记忆偏好效应更大, 且内隐和外显记忆的脑机制在单一的再认任务中产生了分离。

关键词: 女性面孔, 吸引力, ERP, 外显记忆, 内隐记忆