Identifying Other-Race Faces: It’s Less in the Eyes.

Most studies in face recognition have focused on how individuals identify faces within their own ethnic group, highlighting the crucial role of the eye region in face identification (Vinette et al., 2004; Butler et al., 2010; Royer et al., 2018). Nevertheless, the general population encounters difficulties in identifying individuals from a different ethnicity, a phenomenon known as the “other-race effect” (ORE; Meissner & Brigham, 2001). Despite decades of investigation, the perceptual mechanisms associated with ORE remain inadequately understood. It is plausible that different perceptual strategies are employed in identifying other-race faces. In this study, 21 White participants initially learned to identify 8 Black and 8 White faces. Subsequently, they were tasked to recognize these same faces presented through small Gaussian apertures (“Bubbles”; Gosselin & Schyns, 2002). We also measured the extent of the ORE using an old/new recognition task. Collectively, participants exhibited an ORE, evidenced by a higher d' with own-race faces (μd=0.26, σd=0.27, t(20)=4.32, p<.001, d=0.94). Regarding the Bubbles results, Pixel Tests (p<.05; Stat4Ci Toolbox; Chauvin et al., 2005) revealed a significant reliance on the eyes and the mouth for faces of both race. Crucially, comparison between classification images of own- and other-race faces unveiled significant differences: greater eye reliance (z-score difference of 12.52) for own-race faces and increased nose and mouth reliance (z-score differences of -5.58 and -5.94, respectively) for other-race faces. We hypothesize that, at least as a group effect, the ORE may arise from diminished eye reliance and an excessive dependence on facial features associated with ethnic information (Levin, 1996). Additional participants, including a more diverse sample (e.g., African participants), are currently undergoing testing to explore individual and cultural differences in perceptual strategies employed to recognize own- and other-race faces.