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

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.

Individual differences in adaptive coding of face identity are linked to individual differences in face recognition ability.

“…The effects obtained here between adaptive coding and face recognition ability were similar in size (small-moderate) to those reported previously between holistic coding and face recognition ability (DeGutis et al, 2013a;Richler et al, 2011;Wang et al, 2012). The effects obtained here between adaptive coding and face recognition ability were similar in size (small-moderate) to those reported previously between holistic coding and face recognition ability (DeGutis et al, 2013a;Richler et al, 2011;Wang et al, 2012).…”

Recognizing Dynamic Faces in Malaysian Chinese Participants

“…Previous findings have suggested that dynamic stimuli enhance feature-based processing of faces, which might reduce observers' sensitivity in recognizing own-race and familiar other-race faces (Xiao, Quinn, Ge, & Lee, 2012). Differences in holistic processing are assumed to be one of the key mechanisms of the other-race effect; more specifically, studies have shown that own-race faces were processed more holistically than other-race faces, and that the engagement in holistic processing is associated with higher recognition performance for own-race faces (DeGutis, Mercado, Wilmer, & Rosenblatt, 2013;Michel, Rossion, Han, Chung, & Caldara, 2006;Tanaka, Kiefer, & Bukach, 2004). Furthermore, a previous study revealed that non-rigid motion in dynamic faces is beneficial for the learning of other-race, as well as own-race, faces (Butcher, Lander, Fang, & Costen, 2011).…”

The problem of being bad at faces

“…For example, one possibility would be if, for a given level of face recognition ability, developmental prosopagnosic subjects had scores on a measure that were clearly different from that predicted from the variation in performance of the normal population (Figure 2). However, the individual differences in face-related measures in the healthy population and how these co-vary with normal face recognition skills are only just beginning to be studied (Degutis, Mercado, Wilmer, & Rosenblatt, 2013; DeGutis, Wilmer, Mercado, & Cohan, 2013). Caution is also required with some of these observations: it may be that certain anomalous phenomena could reflect adaptive strategies that any subject who struggles with face processing – including those just bad at faces - might use.…”