Own and other race face recognition: the effects of instructions and other-race contact

The cross-race effect occurs when people are more accurate in identifying members of their own race versus those of other races. An emerging theory of the cross-race effect involves social-cognitive processes such as categorization and individuation (Hugenberg, Miller, & Claypool, 2007). Prior research has examined whether instructions to individuate other-race faces, given at encoding, can improve sensitivity thereby reducing the cross-race effect. Results have been inconsistent. Two experiments sought to examine this social-categorization theory with both White and Black participants. In the first study, individuation instructions did not improve White participants’ sensitivity for other-race faces and decreased sensitivity for same-race faces. A second study using the same instructions but different stimuli produced similar results for White participants. Instructions improved both same-race and other-race sensitivity for Black participants. Interracial contact did not appear to relate to the size of the cross-race effect. Overall, results did not support the categorization-individuation model.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Pica, Emily Susan

Contributors dc:contributor

• Warren, Amye
• Ross, David F.; Metzger, Richard L.
• College of Arts and Sciences

• Blacks -- Race identity
• Race identity
• Whites -- Race identity

Licence

• https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/61

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1063