Recognising other-race faces is more effortful: The effect of individuation instructions on encoding-related ERP Dm effects

Tüttenberg, Simone C.; Wiese, Holger

Abstract

Humans are better at recognising faces from their own vs. another ethnic background. Socio-cognitive theories of this own-race bias (ORB) propose that reduced recognition of other-race faces results from less motivation to attend to individuating information during encoding. Accordingly, individuation instructions that explain the phenomenon and instruct participants to attend to other-race faces during learning attenuate or eliminate the ORB. However, it is still unclear how exactly such instructions affect other-race face processing. We addressed this question by investigating encoding-related event-related brain potentials, contrasting neural activity of subsequently remembered and forgotten items (Dm effects). In line with socio-cognitive accounts, individuation instructions reduced the ORB. Critically, instructions increased Dm effects for other-race faces, suggesting that more processing resources were allocated to these faces during encoding. Thus, compensating for reduced experience with other-race faces is possible to some extent, but additional resources are needed to decrease difficulties resulting from a lack of perceptual expertise.

Citation

Tüttenberg, S. C., & Wiese, H. (2021). Recognising other-race faces is more effortful: The effect of individuation instructions on encoding-related ERP Dm effects. Biological Psychology, 158, Article 107992. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.107992

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 16, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Nov 24, 2020
• Publication Date: 2021-01
• Deposit Date: Nov 25, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 24, 2021
• Journal: Biological Psychology
• Print ISSN: 0301-0511
• Electronic ISSN: 1873-6246
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 158
• Article Number: 107992
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.107992
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1256723