Becoming Familiar With a Newly Encountered Face: Evidence of an Own-Race Advantage. (August 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhou, Xiaomei; Matthews, Claire M.; Baker, Kristen A.; Mondloch, Catherine J.
• Is Part Of: Perception. Volume 47:Number 8(2018)
• Page Start: 807
• Page End: 820
• Publication Date: 2018-08
• Subjects: face recognition -- other-race effect -- within-person variability -- perceptual experience; Perception -- Periodicals; Perception -- Periodicals; Perception; Periodicals; 153.705
• DOI: 10.1177/0301006618783915
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0301-0066

Abstract

Adults' ability to match identity in images of unfamiliar faces is impaired for other- compared with own-race faces; their ability to match identity in images of familiar faces is independent of face race. Exposure to within-person variability in appearance plays a key role in face learning. Past research suggests that children need exposure to higher levels of variability than adults to learn a new face—a difference that has been attributed to experience. We predicted that adults' limited experience with other-race faces would result in their needing exposure to higher levels of variability when learning other- compared with own-race faces. We introduced adults to four new identities (two own-race; two other-race) in one of the three conditions: a single image, a low-variability video (filmed on 1 day), or a high-variability video (filmed across 3 days). Adults' ability to recognize new instances of learned identities improved in the low-variability condition for own-race faces but only in the high-variability condition for other-race faces. We discuss learning mechanisms that might drive this difference—a difference we attribute to experience.