Cultural influences on the neural correlates of intergroup perception

Abstract

Intergroup biases influence how people engage with members of their ingroup and outgroup. However, less is known about how culture plays a role in the neural mechanisms involved in intergroup perception. In this study, European American and Chinese participants engaged in an emotion perspective-taking task where they viewed images of ingroup and outgroup members while undergoing an fMRI scan. Results revealed culture-specific patterns of neural activation in the fusiform gyrus when perceiving ingroup and outgroup members in emotional contexts: American participants showed greater fusiform activation to the outgroup than ingroup, whereas Chinese participants showed greater fusiform activation to the ingroup than outgroup. Functional connectivity analyses also revealed distinct patterns of neural connectivity between the fusiform and amygdala between cultures. Taken together, these findings contribute to our understanding of the neural correlates involved in intergroup perception and highlight how culture can modulate activation and functional connectivity in the fusiform gyrus.