Abstract
Research into face processing consistently shows an outgroup disadvantage in areas such as recognition memory and emotional identification. Potential ingroup advantage with respect to inferences regarding personality and behavioural outcomes, on the other hand, has not yet been studied. In the present study, we used the faces of male professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters of apparent African, European, or mixed-race origin as targets and males from four distant populations that vary in ethnic composition as perceivers. We compared the perceivers’ inferences about targets’ aggressiveness with the fighters’ actual performance in professional MMA championships. Surprisingly, across three distant populations used in the study (Cameroon, Czech Republic, and Turkey), perceivers’ inferences based on face rating were more congruent with real-world performance for targets belonging to an apparent racial outgroup (as opposed to ingroup). In an ethnically mixed population (Brazil), perceivers showed the lowest congruence for apparently mixed-race targets. It thus seems that the outgroup disadvantage observed in other face processing domains does not carry over to inferences about aggressive behavioural outcomes. In fact, it seems that this relationship is, if anything, reversed.
Highlights
Research into other aspects of face processing consistently indicates an outgroup disadvantage
In research examining categorisation accuracy, where differences are present, perceivers tend to favour the ingroup. Both Czechs and U.S Americans are more accurate in differentiating homosexuals, based on thin slices of behaviour, among their respective co-nationals[20]
Judgments on sexual orientation based on facial images did not, reveal either ingroup or outgroup advantage[21]
Summary
Research into other aspects of face processing consistently indicates an outgroup disadvantage. In research examining categorisation accuracy, where differences are present, perceivers tend to favour the ingroup Both Czechs and U.S Americans are more accurate in differentiating homosexuals, based on thin slices of behaviour, among their respective co-nationals[20]. Some studies focused on impressions (but not accuracy) found that perceivers from various cultures (e.g., U.S Americans and Koreans) converge on facial impressions (such as dominance or attractiveness) owing partly to commonly held appearance-related stereotypes[22]. Even with such stereotypes in place, within-culture agreement on judgments regarding faces from racial outgroups is low, which indicates difficulty of processing other-race faces[23]. A relevant study by Short et al.[26] found that Chinese and Caucasian child and adult perceivers did not differ in their tendency to rely on facial features in judging ethnic ingroup and outgroup targets’ propensity for aggression, even though accuracy was not assessed
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