The Other-Race Effect Develops During Infancy

TLDR

Experience plays a crucial role in the development of face processing. The study investigated how faces observed within the visual environment affect the development of the face‑processing system during the first year of life. We assessed 3-, 6-, and 9‑month‑old Caucasian infants' ability to discriminate faces within their own racial group and within three other‑race groups (African, Middle Eastern, and Chinese). Infants recognized all faces at 3 months, but by 6 months recognition was limited to Caucasian and Chinese faces and by 9 months to own‑race faces, indicating that the other‑race effect emerges by 6 months and is established by 9 months, underscoring the importance of early visual experience in shaping face‑processing and leading to adult differences in cross‑racial recognition.

Abstract

Experience plays a crucial role in the development of face processing. In the study reported here, we investigated how faces observed within the visual environment affect the development of the face-processing system during the 1st year of life. We assessed 3-, 6-, and 9-month-old Caucasian infants' ability to discriminate faces within their own racial group and within three other-race groups (African, Middle Eastern, and Chinese). The 3-month-old infants demonstrated recognition in all conditions, the 6-month-old infants were able to recognize Caucasian and Chinese faces only, and the 9-month-old infants' recognition was restricted to own-race faces. The pattern of preferences indicates that the other-race effect is emerging by 6 months of age and is present at 9 months of age. The findings suggest that facial input from the infant's visual environment is crucial for shaping the face-processing system early in infancy, resulting in differential recognition accuracy for faces of different races in adulthood.