Experience prevents the emergence of the other race effect during infancy

Authors

Jane S. Herbert, University of SheffieldFollow
Michelle Heron-Delaney, University of Sheffield, University of Queensland
Olivier Pascalis, Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition

RIS ID

110871

Publication Details

Herbert, J. S., Heron-Delaney, M. & Pascalis, O. (2011). Experience prevents the emergence of the other race effect during infancy. Developmental Psychobiology, 53 (7), 750-751. Washington DC, United States 44th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology

Abstract

Experience plays a crucial role in the development of the face processing system. Six-month-olds discriminate individual faces from their own and other races. By 9 months, this ability to process other-race faces is typically lost, due to minimal experience with other-race faces, and vast exposure to own-race faces. In this study,we demonstrate that exposing Caucasian infants to Chinese faces through a picture book at home from 6 and 9 months allows Caucasian infants to maintain the ability to discriminate Chinese faces at 9 months. Thus, the development of the processing of face race can be modified by training.