Social perception from where we stand: Considering the role of race-conferred social status in face recognition
Hinzman, Lindsay.
2019
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The well-known cross-race effect (CRE), characterized by better
recognition for same-race (SR) faces versus cross-race (CR) faces, has been shown
to be sensitive to the motivational relevance of the target to the perceiver. Most
of these investigations of cross-race face recognition have relied heavily on
participants from high-status groups (e.g., Whites), potentially obscuring
different ... read morepatterns of face recognition among lower-status groups (e.g., Asians,
Blacks). Recognizing this empirical gap, here I consider whether a perceiver's
social status, as conferred by their racial group membership, is associated with
different patterns of face recognition of same- and other-race targets. Across
four studies, this investigation examines whether a perceiver's racial group
membership is associated with different patterns of face recognition for SR and CR
targets that vary in social status. Study 1 examined perceptions of social status
held by members of four different racial/ethnic groups (Asian, Black, Latino, and
White) towards their own and each of the other groups. Results suggest that Whites
are perceived to occupy the highest status, followed by Asians, followed by both
Blacks and Latinos. Study 2 examined how these status disparities impact face
recognition for SR and CR targets, supporting the hypothesis that the social
status of the perceiver and the target impact a perceiver's face recognition
sensitivity. Study 3 was designed to replicate and extend Study 2 by directly
examining the proposed mechanism guiding this effect: social status. Manipulating
the social status of the target did not, however, modulate the pattern of face
recognition observed in Study 2. Finally, Study 4 was designed to replicate and
extend Study 2 and Study 3 by examining whether manipulating the motivational
relevance of the target would impact face recognition patterns. The results
indicated that the motivation manipulation did not modulate the pattern of face
recognition observed in Study 2 and Study 3. Overall, this investigation provides
evidence consistent with the hypothesis that that social status of the perceiver
and the target jointly impact face recognition. However, direct tests of the
proposed mechanisms of this effect (target social status and perceiver motivation)
did not provide confirmatory evidence for the role of these mechanisms in guiding
the observed effects. Recommendations for targeting more inclusive participant
samples and exploring downstream effects among low-status groups are
discussed.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2019.
Submitted to the Dept. of Psychology.
Advisor: Keith Maddox.
Committee: Kurt Hugenberg, Ayanna Thomas, and Jessica Remedios.
Keywords: Social psychology, and Cognitive psychology.read less - ID:
- bk128q025
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