The categorization-individuation model: An integrative account of the other-race recognition deficit.

Abstract

The other-race effect (ORE), or the finding that same-race faces are better recognized than other-race faces, is one of the best replicated phenomena in face recognition. The current article reviews existing evidence and theory and proposes a new theoretical framework for the ORE, which argues that the effect results from a confluence of social categorization, motivated individuation, and perceptual experience. This categorization-individuation model offers not only a parsimonious account of both classic and recent evidence for category-based biases in face recognition but also links the ORE to broader evidence and theory in social cognition and face perception. Finally, the categorization-individuation model makes a series of novel predictions for how the ORE can be exacerbated, attenuated, or even eliminated via perceptual and motivational processes, both by improving other-race recognition and by reducing same-race recognition. The authors propose that this new model for the ORE also leads to applied interventions that differ sharply from other theories of the ORE, while simultaneously providing an integrative theoretical framework for future research on the ORE.

Robust social categorization emerges from learning the identities of very few faces.

“…In other words, he thought they reflect particularly salient underlying physical differences. In the intervening 100 years, this simple insight has been complicated by the difficulty of finding reliable facial cues to sex (Campanella et al, 2001;Hoss, Ramsey, Griffin & Langlois, 2005;O'Toole et al, 1998;Russell, 2003) and by demonstrations that the perception of race can be influenced by social psychological factors (Hugenberg, Young, Bernstein & Sacco, 2010;Levin & Banaji, 2006;MacLin & Malpass, 2001). Now we have the evidence that Feingold was correct.…”

The other-race effect in perception and recognition: Insights from the complete composite task.

“…Two main theoretical explanations of the other-race effect in recognition have been advanced (for a recent review, see Hugenberg, Young, Bernstein, & Sacco, 2010). One account suggests that extensive experience with own-race faces optimizes HOLISTIC PROCESSING OF OTHER-RACE FACES 4 the perceptual system for individuating own-race faces, but that this experience does not generalize well to other-race faces.…”

An eye for the I: Preferential attention to the eyes of ingroup members.

“…When processing ingroup faces, they propose that people will focus on specific features that can differentiate among category members (Hugenberg, Miller, & Claypool, 2007;Hugenberg & Sacco, 2008;Hugenberg et al, 2010;Pauker et al, 2009;Rhodes, Locke, Ewing, & Evangelista, 2009). Alternatively, when processing outgroup faces, they propose that people will focus on shared categorical features.…”

“…Even the briefest presentation of a face can provide important social category information related to sex, age, race, and socioeconomic status (Brewer, 1988;Fiske & Neuberg, 1990;Martin & Macrae, 2010). Furthermore, this category information impacts the neural encoding of faces (Ito & Urland, 2005;Ofan, Rubin, & Amodio, 2011;Ratner & Amodio, 2013;Van Bavel, Packer, & Cunningham, 2008, our attitudes and behaviors toward social category members (Blair, 2002; Greenwald, McGee, & Schwartz, 1998;Kawakami, Dovidio, Moll, Hermsen, & Russin, 2000;Kawakami, Phills, Steele, & Dovidio, 2007), and our memory for faces (Bernstein, Young, & Hugenberg, 2007;Hugenberg et al, 2010;Sporer, 2001). …”

“…To this end, we first provide a general review of the literature regarding the central role of the eyes in social perception, and in particular, their role when perceiving ingroup and outgroup members. Then we move to a discussion regarding the impact of motivation on eye gaze and the relationship between eye gaze, and two important intergroup biases: the Own Race Bias (Hugenberg, Young, Bernstein, & Sacco, 2010;Meissner & Brigham, 2001;Sporer, 2001) and a willingness to interact with outgroup members. Finally, we present four experiments in which we directly measure perceivers' attention to the eye regions of ingroup and outgroup faces using an eye tracker.…”