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Updated: Jun 26, 2026
08:13
Using the Race Model Inequality to Quantify Behavioral Multisensory Integration Effects
Published on: May 10, 2019
Perceptual other-race training reduces implicit racial bias
Sophie Lebrecht1, Lara J Pierce, Michael J Tarr
1Department of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America.
Plos One
|January 22, 2009
Summary
Training to better distinguish other-race faces can reduce implicit racial bias. This study shows a causal link between the Other-Race Effect and implicit bias, suggesting perceptual skills are modifiable.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Perception
Background:
- Implicit racial bias involves unconscious attitudes towards other-race groups.
- The Other-Race Effect describes reduced ability to differentiate other-race faces compared to own-race faces.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between the Other-Race Effect and implicit racial bias.
- To determine if training to individuate other-race faces impacts implicit racial bias.
Main Methods:
- Caucasian subjects underwent training to either individuate or categorize African American faces over 5 sessions.
- The Other-Race Effect was measured using recognition tasks, and implicit racial bias using the Affective Lexical Priming Score (ALPS).
Main Results:
- Individuation training improved discrimination of African American faces and reduced ALPS scores.
- Categorization training did not yield these improvements.
- A significant correlation was found between improved face discrimination and reduced ALPS in the individuation group.
Conclusions:
- A causal link exists between the Other-Race Effect and implicit racial bias.
- Training that improves perceptual skills for other-race faces can reduce implicit racial bias.
- Implicit racial biases include malleable perceptual components.
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