科学美国人60秒 SSS Clark Kent's Glasses Aided His Anonymity
时间：2018-12-24 作者：英语课 分类：2016年Scientific American(十)月
Ever wonder how the citizens of Metropolis 1 somehow could not recognize Clark Kent once he ditched the glasses and became Superman? Well, now there’s an actual scientific explanation: When a person alters their appearance, even in small ways like adding a pair of glasses, it can indeed lessen 2 the ability of others who do not know that person to recognize his or her face.
The study is in the journal Applied 3 Cognitive 4 Psychology 5. [Robin 6 S. S. Kramer and Kay L. Ritchie, Disguising Superman: How Glasses Affect Unfamiliar 7 Face Matching]
Psychologists Robin Kramer and Kay Ritchie from the University of York in the U.K. showed volunteers pictures of unknown people—not celebrities 8. The photos came from Google Images, and featured people in various poses, with different facial expressions and changing lighting 9.
The participants saw two photos at the same time—either two pictures of the same person or a different person in each picture. Three possible pairs of pictures were presented: both people wore glasses; neither person wore glasses; or only one of the pair of people had glasses on.
Then the researchers asked the volunteers whether the pictures were of the same person or of two different people.
When the folks in both pictures were in the same condition—either both with glasses or both without—the participants were about 80 percent accurate in telling whether it was the same person or a different person in the two pics. But accuracy fell to 74 percent when glasses were worn in only one of the pictures.
The researchers noted 10 that the appearance of the eyes may be the most important aspect of facial recognition, so a change to the eyes could be expected reduce recognition. But trained examiners, such as TSA agents, may be less fooled by such simple modifications 11.
The researchers concluded their paper by writing [quote]: “While we may still find it hard to believe that the inhabitants of Metropolis are unable to match Clark Kent with the numerous appearances of Superman in newspapers and on television, we can at least understand why Kent has chosen glasses as his aid to anonymity 12.”
—Erika Beras
- Shanghai is a metropolis in China.上海是中国的大都市。
- He was dazzled by the gaiety and splendour of the metropolis.大都市的花花世界使他感到眼花缭乱。
- Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
- They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。
- She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
- This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
- As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
- The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。
- She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
- He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。
- The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
- We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。
- I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
- The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。
- He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
- a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目
- The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
- The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。
- The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
- Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
- The engine was pulled apart for modifications and then reassembled. 发动机被拆开改型，然后再组装起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The original plan had undergone fairly extensive modifications. 原计划已经作了相当大的修改。 来自《简明英汉词典》