Cross-race (but not same-race) face identification is impaired by presenting faces in a group rather than...

This study extends the research on cross-race identification by examining how group presentation of faces influences the cross-race effect (CRE) and confirming systematic qualitative differences between the cognitive processes involved in memory for same- and cross-race faces. White individuals viewed 16 target faces (8 White, 8 Black) presented individually or each in a 3-face group. The conditions that impaired cross-race but not same-race face recognition memory were (a) group compared to individual presentation of target faces (Experiment 1), and (b) presentation of target faces in homogeneous (foil faces matched the race of the target face) rather than heterogeneous groups (foil faces did not match the race of the target face; Experiment 2). These findings are interpreted within the context of social-cognitive processes that operate on same- and cross-race faces, specifically, the dual-process account of the CRE. Together, results of these two experiments suggest that the CRE is moderated by viewing conditions that are likely to vary in real world eyewitness memory and identification situations.