#52 Have We Met?

Have we met?

Have you ever traveled to a country where people were a different race than you?  Did you have any trouble distinguishing people there?

Decades of research demonstrates that people are worse at recognizing faces from other racial groups. This is called the other-race effect, or the cross-race effect.   Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt popularized this effect with two stories:

• She recounts her childhood experience moving from a predominantly black neighborhood to a predominantly white neighborhood – she initially had trouble making friends because she couldn’t remember who she’d interacted with.

• A group of black teenagers were stealing purses from women in Chinatown. When questioned, the teens said they targeted Asian women because, when faced with a lineup, they "couldn't tell the brothers apart."  

Eberhardt highlights that this effect is due to exposure.  The more exposed we are to different races, the more we can tell people apart.  (Watch this video to learn more.)