First Impressions of Faces of Refugees are More Strongly Influenced by Target Cues and Perceiver Attitudes Than by Sheer Group Affiliation

Abstract

The present article applies an individual differences approach to integrate research on the prejudicial devaluation of outgroup members with research on interpersonal perceptions. We focus on first impressions of refugees, who are one of the most heatedly discussed minorities in Western societies. How are refugees evaluated at first sight on average by majority group members, and which individual target and perceiver differences affect these evaluations? In two studies, German perceivers (total N = 938) evaluated 60 (Study 1) and 48 (Study 2) male target photos of majority individuals (presented as Germans) and Middle Eastern minority individuals (presented as refugees). In Study 2, we included information about targets’ religious affilliations (Christian, Muslim) and religiousness (weakly religious, devout). To predict individual differences in evaluation outcomes, targets’ facial characteristics (physical attractiveness, smiling) were coded, and perceiver attitudes (right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, political ideology) were assessed. Results showed (a) no overall devaluation of refugees or Muslims, (b) strong effects of target attractiveness and smiling on evaluations, which were consistent across ingroup and outgroup, (c) strong effects of perceiver attitudes on prejudices toward refugees and Muslims, and (d) no effects of the interactions between perceiver attitudes and target cues on evaluations. Together, these findings underline the utility of an individual difference approach for understanding prejudiced evaluations of refugees and outgroup members in general.

Toward an Integrative Approach to Nonverbal Personality Detection: Connecting Psychological and Artificial Intelligence Research.

“…For example, right-wing conservatives are more influenced by religious identity as a cue for a range of personality traits when evaluating middle eastern refugees (Stecker et al, 2020).…”

“…age is a valid and utilized cue for Openness to Experience, Chan et al, 2012), but also to unfair bias and discrimination (e.g. Arabic faces receive less favorable ratings from German right-wingers, Stecker et al, 2020). Second, demographic characteristics moderate the detection of nonverbal cues, as cues that fit with stereotypes about ethnicity or gender are detected more easily (see Stolier et al, 2019).…”