The impact of race on perceptions of emotions in crowds

Because groups are critical to our social lives, it is important to understand how people perceive the cues they provide. While a large literature has examined person perception, related to how people use visual cues to infer characteristics and mental states of individuals, notably fewer studies have examined people perception, related to how people use cues to infer characteristics and mental states of groups. In four studies, the current research investigates how people use emotional expressions of anger and happiness to infer the emotional state of crowds and how race affects this process. Using an ensemble coding paradigm, this work indicates that Black compared to White crowds were rated as angrier. This effect was most robust in crowds with equal proportions of angry and happy expressions. Furthermore, in diverse crowds with Black and White members, who expressed anger mattered. Crowds in which Black rather than White members expressed anger were rated as angrier. These effects were consistent across crowds that were predominantly angry or happy, as well as those with an equal proportion of angry and happy expressions. The implications of these findings for threat perceptions and responses to crowds, as well as potential directions for research, are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).