Masato Konishi’s research while affiliated with Kwansei Gakuin University and other places

In this study, we hypothesized that the tendency toward an age estimation bias when judging age based on facial images was driven by relative comparison with one's own age, similar to situations of face-to-face communication. Using facial images as stimuli, participants were asked to assess the ages of those in the images in relative terms (younger or older than the participants themselves). We examined the relationship between age estimation bias and participants' age and gender, as well as the type of facial expression in the images (smiling or neutral). This bias was found throughout most gender and age groups, with the exception of the middle-age female group. Moreover, the bias was greater in men than women, and was influenced by both age and type of expression. These results suggest that the main factors responsible for age estimation bias interact in a complex juxtaposition of variables such as sex, age, and expression.

In this study, we hypothesized that the tendency toward an age estimation bias when judging age based on facial images was driven by relative comparison with one's own age, similar to situations of face-to-face communication. Using facial images as stimuli, participants were asked to assess the ages of those in the images in relative terms (younger or older than the participants themselves). We examined the relationship between age estimation bias and participants' age and gender, as well as the type of facial expression in the images (smiling or neutral). This bias was found throughout most gender and age groups, with the exception of the middle-age female group. Moreover, the bias was greater in men than women, and was influenced by both age and type of expression. These results suggest that the main factors responsible for age estimation bias interact in a complex juxtaposition of variables such as sex, age, and expression.

In this study, we hypothesized that the tendency toward an age estimation bias when judging age based on facial images was driven by relative comparison with one's own age, similar to situations of face-to-face communication. Using facial images as stimuli, participants were asked to assess the ages of those in the images in relative terms (younger or older than the participants themselves). We examined the relationship between age estimation bias and participants' age and gender, as well as the type of facial expression in the images (smiling or neutral). This bias was found throughout most gender and age groups, with the exception of the middle-age female group. Moreover, the bias was greater in men than women, and was influenced by both age and type of expression. These results suggest that the main factors responsible for age estimation bias interact in a complex juxtaposition of variables such as sex, age, and expression.

We designed a method for estimating the subjective age of a person. Using this method, one evaluates one's own age by estimating whether a person shown in a facial image looks older or younger than oneself. Thus far, experiments have shown that Japanese and Americans tend to underestimate their subjective ages. In this study, we conducted estimation experiments involving subjects who were racially Japanese-some of whom were from Japan and others who were raised in the Korean culture-and investigated the differences between the two groups' results. Experiments were performed in which Korean participants viewed Korean and Japanese facial images, and the Japanese participants also viewed Korean facial images. Through these experiments, it was confirmed that the bias values of the subjective ages were negative, indicating that a younger self-identity occurs despite differences in Japanese and Korean societies and cultures.

This study assesses how people interpret human ages based on images of faces. We assigned the age of the people imagining how old they are as the “subjective age” and proposed an experiment to identify its mechanism. The participants in the experiment were presented with the facial images of other people and asked to estimate the ages of those in the images as either younger or older than their own ages. Then, we calculated the difference between the subjective ages given by participants that matched their own ages and the actual ages of the people in the images. Results showed that subjective age was generally underestimated by Japanese, Korean, and American groups. The results also suggest that the factors of a younger identity include 1) the effect of delusions of the accumulated memory of self-image, and 2) sociopsychological parameters. To examine the effect of delusions of the accumulated memory of faces, we conducted the experiments of relative age comparison between well-known others' faces (own brothers/sisters) and unknown others' faces. The results confirmed that people tended to underestimate the ages of well-known others' faces compared with unknown faces. These results are consistent with our hypothesis that a younger identity is influenced by the effect of delusions of the accumulated memory of known faces.

We designed a method for estimating the subjective age of a person; using this method, one evaluates one's own age by estimating whether a person shown in a facial image looks older or younger than oneself. Thus far, experiments have shown that Japanese people tend to underestimate their subjective age. In this study, we conducted an international comparative study to focus on the socio-psychological effects that may influence the underestimation of subjective age. Experiments were performed in which American and Japanese participants viewed American facial images; in addition, the American participants viewed Japanese facial images. Through these experiments, it was confirmed that the underestimation of age occurs despite differences in Japanese and American societies and cultures; however, the tendency of underestimation of age is not related to facial images but to social and cultural factors that influence the participants. Moreover, we carried out experiments of conventional look age estimates and compared the results to those of the subjective age estimates.