Own- and other-race face identity recognition in children: The effects of pose and feature composition.

Abstract

We used a matching-to-sample task and manipulated facial pose and feature composition to examine the other-race effect (ORE) in face identity recognition between 5 and 10 years of age. Overall, the present findings provide a genuine measure of own- and other-race face identity recognition in children that is independent of photographic and image processing. The present study also confirms the presence of an ORE in children as young as 5 years of age using a recognition paradigm that is sensitive to their developing cognitive abilities. In addition, the present findings show that with age, increasing experience with familiar classes of own-race faces and further lack of experience with unfamiliar classes of other-race faces serves to maintain the ORE between 5 to 10 years of age rather than exacerbate the effect. All age groups also showed a differential effect of stimulus facial pose in their recognition of the internal regions of own- and other-race faces. Own-race inner faces were remembered best when three-quarter poses were used during familiarization and frontal poses were used during the recognition test. In contrast, other-race inner faces were remembered best when frontal poses were used during familiarization and three-quarter poses were used during the recognition test. Thus, children encode and/or retrieve own- and other-race faces from memory in qualitatively different ways.

Both children and adults scan faces of own and other races differently

“…One well established example is the differential processing of faces of own and other races (for a review, see Anzures, Quinn et al, 2013). This phenomenon, which is commonly referred to as the Other-Race Effect (ORE), has been repeatedly demonstrated in studies with infants (Anzures, Ge, Wang, Itakura, & Lee, 2010; Ferguson, Kulkofsky, Cashon, & Casasola, 2009; Kelly et al, 2009; Kelly et al, 2007), children (Anzures, Kelly, et al, 2014), and adults (Caharel et al, 2011; Golby, Gabrieli, Chiao, & Eberhardt, 2001; Tanaka & Pierce, 2009). Recent evidence suggests that the behavioral Other-Race Effect also has a neural equivalent, or Neural Other-Race Effect (NORE) in infancy (Balas & Nelson, 2010), childhood (Ding et al, 2012), and adulthood (Golby et al, 2001; Hugenberg, Young, Bernstein, & Sacco, 2010; Meissner & Brigham, 2001; Natu, Raboy, & O’Toole, 2011; Sporer, 2001)…”

“…Also, we explored the effect of face race on saccade amplitude. We hypothesized that given the fact that the size of the behavioral other-race effects are comparable between children as young as preschoolers and adults (Anzures, Kelly et al, 2014), the effect of face race on scanning in adults would be similar to that in children. However, adults’ scanning would be more expert, especially for own-race faces, due to the increased experience of processing own-race faces.…”

Face Race Processing and Racial Bias in Early Development: A Perceptual-Social Linkage

“…Without changes in visual experience, this early difference in own- versus other-race face recognition continues into the preschool years and beyond (e.g., Anzures et al, 2014). …”

Neural correlates of own- and other-race face recognition in children: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

“…At 6 months, infants begin to show a recognition advantage for own-race faces, and by 8–9 months of age this other-race effect becomes more pronounced (Anzures, Quinn, Pascalis, Slater, & Lee, 2010; Ferguson, Kulkofsky, Cashon, & Casasola, 2009; Hayden, Bhatt, Joseph, & Tanaka, 2007; Hayden, Bhatt, Zieber, & Kangas, 2009; Kelly et al, 2007, 2009; Sangrigoli & de Schonen, 2004a ). With further experience with own-race faces and continued lack of experience with other-race faces, children have also been found to have an own-race face recognition advantage with increased age, with the other-race effect less reliable at younger ages and becoming more robust with increased age (Chance, Turner, & Goldstein, 1982; Feinman & Entwisle, 1976; Goodman et al, 2007; Pezdek et al, 2003; Sangrigoli & de Schonen, 2004b; Walker & Hewstone, 2006; Anzures, Kelly et al, in press). The existing behavioral findings from infants, children, and adults taken together strongly support the proposal (Scott, Pascalis, & Nelson, 2007) that our asymmetrical experience with different types of faces (e.g., own- versus other-race faces or own- versus other- species faces) affects the development of face processing expertise in a profound manner.…”