Positive Evaluation, Threat, or Intersectionality? Re-evaluating Social-Category Modulation of Facial Emotion Categorization

Martin et al. reported social-category moderation of the happy-face advantage, interpreted mainly in terms of positive evaluation and intergroup congruity. However, their Target Race × Emotion interaction appears driven more by faster Black-angry than White-angry responses than by White-happy facilitation. The present reanalysis tests positive-evaluation, threat-related, and intersectional interpretations while addressing RT skew and participant heterogeneity.