Abstract: ObjectiveTo explore the neural basis of visual completion for the occluded faces.Methods2 types of visual stimuli were presented randomly: pictures of complete faces,pictures of incomplete faces(the occluded part was the left-top quadrant).Subjects were instructed to perform a gender discrimination task while event-related potentials(ERPs) were recorded.ResultsCompared with complete faces,incomplete faces enhanced the amplitude of N1 on the occipito-temporal scalp bilaterally,with the right hemisphere advantage.The peak latency of N2 elicited by incomplete faces was delayed compared with that of complete faces.ConclusionThe enhancement of N1 is related to visual completion processing that requires additional time.

Key words: event-related potentials(ERP), face perception, N1, visual completion