The role of featural and configural processing in own- and other-race face classification: Behavioral and ERP evidence

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event The role of featural and configural processing in own- and other-race face classification: Behavioral and ERP evidence Z. Lun1, 2, 3 and Shlomo Bentin3* 1 Institute of Linguistics, Xuzhou Normal University, China 2 Key Laboratory of Language Sciences & Neuro-cognitive Engineering, China 3 Department Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel While individual own-race faces are identified easier than other-race faces ("the other race effect"; ORE), classification by race is faster for other-race than own-race faces (“the other-race advantage”; ORA). Putatively, both effects reflect acquired expertise within-race, which facilitates individual distinction of own-race faces (on the basis of the distinctive configuration of inner components) while renders other-race faces a more homogeneous group, easier to categorize on the basis of holistic structure or distinctive features. To this end we used ERP and RT measures to explore the consequences of holistic, configural and feature manipulations on the categorization of own and other races by race. Chinese participants in China and Israeli participants in Israel classified full faces, isolated eyes and faces with slight alterations of the spatial configuration of inner components as Chinese or Caucasian. Demonstrating the ORA, across all stimuli the other-race were classified faster than own-race by both Chinese and Israeli participants. For both groups isolating eyes or distorting the face configuration delayed classification of own-race stimuli. For Chinese participants the ORA was equal for full faces and isolated eyes and higher for distorted faces. Israeli participants classified full Chinese faces and isolated eyes at an equal speed (hence showing larger ORA for isolated eyes). Similarly, they classified regular and configural-distorted Chinese faces at equal speed, (hence showing larger ORA for configural faces). The N170 was relatively unaffected by race. In contrast N2 and P3 components elicited by other-race full faces and isolated eyes were bigger than by own-race ones for both groups. Other-race distorted faces also elicited larger N2 and P3 components than own-race faces for Israeli but not for Chinese participants. We conclude that the ORA is based primarily on post-perceptual mechanisms. However, some differences between perceptual strategies of Chinese and Israeliens were also observed: Configural and feature-focused face information is equally used by both groups to process own-race faces. In contrast, Chinese participants based the classification of Caucasian faces on configural/global face-information slightly more than on features, while Israelis focused slightly more on the characteristic features Chinese faces (eyes) than on their configural aspect. Conference: 10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience, Bodrum, Turkey, 1 Sep - 5 Sep, 2008. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Perceptual Processing and Recognition Citation: Lun Z and Bentin S (2008). The role of featural and configural processing in own- and other-race face classification: Behavioral and ERP evidence. Conference Abstract: 10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience. doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.09.2009.01.374 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 16 Dec 2008; Published Online: 16 Dec 2008. * Correspondence: Shlomo Bentin, Department Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel, shlomo.bentin@huji.ac.il Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Z. Lun Shlomo Bentin Google Z. Lun Shlomo Bentin Google Scholar Z. Lun Shlomo Bentin PubMed Z. Lun Shlomo Bentin Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.