Individual Differences in Holistic Processing Predict the Own-Race Advantage in Recognition Memory

Joseph Degutis,Rogelio J Mercado,Andrew Rosenblatt,Jeremy Wilmer,Chris I Baker

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0058253

Abstract

Individuals are consistently better at recognizing own-race faces compared to other-race faces (other-race effect, ORE). One popular hypothesis is that this recognition memory ORE is caused by differential own- and other-race holistic processing, the simultaneous integration of part and configural face information into a coherent whole. Holistic processing may create a more rich, detailed memory representation of own-race faces compared to other-race faces. Despite several studies showing that own-race faces are processed more holistically than other-race faces, studies have yet to link the holistic processing ORE and the recognition memory ORE. In the current study, we sought to use a more valid method of analyzing individual differences in holistic processing by using regression to statistically remove the influence of the control condition (part trials in the part-whole task) from the condition of interest (whole trials in the part-whole task). We also employed regression to separately examine the two components of the ORE: own-race advantage (regressing other-race from own-race performance) and other-race decrement (regressing own-race from other-race performance). First, we demonstrated that own-race faces were processed more holistically than other-race faces, particularly the eye region. Notably, using regression, we showed a significant association between the own-race advantage in recognition memory and the own-race advantage in holistic processing and that these associations were weaker when examining the other-race decrement. We also demonstrated that performance on own- and other-race faces across all of our tasks was highly correlated, suggesting that the differences we found between own- and other-race faces are quantitative rather than qualitative. Together, this suggests that own- and other-race faces recruit largely similar mechanisms, that own-race faces more thoroughly engage holistic processing, and that this greater engagement of holistic processing is significantly associated with the own-race advantage in recognition memory.

Highlights

Human visual memory is remarkable in its capacity to discriminate between thousands of previously seen faces
We further investigated whether own-race and other-race faces rely on similar mechanisms by measuring if part-whole performance predicts Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT) performance for Asian stimuli to a similar extent to what has been shown with Caucasian faces [24]
The current results help to clarify the nature of the other-race effect in recognition memory and its link with holistic processing

Summary

Introduction

Human visual memory is remarkable in its capacity to discriminate between thousands of previously seen faces. Despite this expertise, people are generally better at remembering and individuating own-race faces compared to other-race faces, a phenomenon termed the other-race effect (ORE; for a review see [1]). The ORE is among the most robust findings in the face recognition literature, and has been replicated across many cultures (for a review see [2]) It first emerges in infancy at around six months of age [3], the ORE is malleable in both children and adults through increased other-race individuation experiences [4] and structured individuation training with otherrace faces [5]. Studies have shown that individuation training with other-race faces, though not categorization training, can enhance recognition of other-race faces [5,14]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion