Recognition of faces of ingroup and outgroup children and adults

Barry Corenblum, Brandon University
Christian A. Meissner, University of Texas at El Paso

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The definitive version of this article was published in Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, [93, 3], March 2006, DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2005.09.001.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2005.09.001.

Abstract

People are often more accurate in recognizing faces of ingroup than outgroup members. While own group biases in face recognition are well established among adults, less attention has been given to such biases among children. This is surprising considering how often children give testimony in criminal and civil cases. In the present studies, EuroCanadian children attending public school and young adults enrolled in university-level classes were asked whether previously presented photographs of EuroAmerican and African American adults (Study 1), or photographs of Native Canadian, EuroCanadian, African American children (Study 2) were new or old. In both studies, own group biases were found on measures of discrimination accuracy and response bias, as well as on estimates of reaction time, confidence and confidence-accuracy relations. Results of both studies were consistent with predictions derived from multidimensional face-space theory of face recognition (Valentine, 1991). Implications of the present studies for the validity of children’s eyewitness testimony are also discussed.