Scanning of own ‐ versus other‐race faces in infants from racially diverse or homogenous communities

We examined the role of community face experience on 6‐ and 8‐month‐old Caucasian infants’ scanning of own‐ and other‐race face scanning. We measured infants’ proportional fixation time and scan path amplitudes as indices of face processing. Proportional fixation time to informationally rich face regions varied as a function of age and face race for infants living in a racially homogeneous community, whereas scan path amplitudes varied as a function of age and face race for infants living in a racially diverse community. In both communities 6‐month‐old infants did not show different responding to own‐ and other‐race faces, whereas 8‐month‐old infants responded differently to own‐ and other‐race faces. However, 8‐month‐old infants from the two communities showed different patterns of cross‐race face scanning. Therefore, experience in the community beyond the home appears to contribute to the development of differential scanning of own‐ versus other‐race faces between 6 and 8 months of age.

Source: Developmental Psychobiology - May 1, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Ann E. Ellis, Naiqi G. Xiao, Kang Lee, Lisa M. Oakes Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research