A field study of own-race bias in South Africa and England.

Abstract

In shopping centers in South Africa and England, Black and White people were approached by either a Black or a White confederate. Later they were asked to identify the confederate from both a sequential lineup, where photographs are seen one at a time, and a forced-choice recognition test, where photographs are seen simultaneously. In both countries and with both identification tasks the confederates were better recognized by people of their own race. By observing this own-race bias in two countries with different demographics, using methods similar to those used in some criminal investigations of eyewitness memory, the authors demonstrated the robust nature of the own-race bias. In addition, witness confidence and accuracy were found to be correlated but only when the participant was the same race as the confederate. Implications for legal procedure are discussed.