Faculty Publications

Neurocognitive Underpinnings Of Face Perception: Further Evidence Of Distinct Person And Group Perception Processes

Document Type

Article

Keywords

face perception, social neuroscience, social perception, stereotyping

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Volume

94

Issue

1

First Page

108

Last Page

115

Abstract

A model of social perception is presented and tested. The model is based on cognitive neuroscience models and proposes that the right cerebral hemisphere is more efficient at processing combinations of features whereas the left hemisphere is superior at identifying single features. These processes are hypothesized to produce person and group-based representations, respectively. Individuating or personalizing experience with an outgroup member was expected to facilitate the perception of the individuating features and inhibit the perception of the group features. In the presented study, participants were asked to learn about various ingroup and outgroup targets. Later, participants demonstrated that categorization response speeds to old targets were slower in the left hemisphere than in the right, particularly for outgroup members, as predicted. These findings are discussed for their relevance to models of social perception and stereotyping. © 2008 American Psychological Association.

Department

Department of Psychology

Original Publication Date

1-1-2008

DOI of published version

10.1037/0022-3514.94.1.108

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