The Neural Representation of Other-Race Faces

Poster Session F - Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 8:00 – 10:00 am EDT, Sheraton Hall ABC

Yong Zhong Liang¹ (yongzhong.liang@mail.utoronto.ca), Moaz Shoura¹, Marco Sama¹, Arijit De¹, Adrian Nestor¹; ¹University of Toronto

The other-race effect (ORE) refers to the typical benefit of recognizing faces of one’s own-race compared to other-race faces. While behavioural aspects of ORE have been extensively studied, its neural mechanism remains less understood. The current study addresses this challenge by applying multivariate pattern analysis and image reconstruction to electroencephalography (EEG) data in adults with normal face recognition abilities. Specifically, we examined the neural representation of own- and other-race faces in East Asian and Caucasian participants (N = 40) who viewed own- and other-race face stimuli. Our behavioural results confirmed the ORE, by showing enhanced recognition of own-race faces among participants. EEG pattern analysis revealed higher decoding accuracy for own-race faces in both participant groups, consistent with the behavioural findings. Moreover, we found a significant correlation between behavioural measures of the ORE and decoding performance across participants. Furthermore, EEG-based facial image reconstruction revealed systematic differences in the visual content of own- versus other-race face representations. Thus, our research advances the understanding of ORE with respect to its neural underpinnings and its representational basis.

Topic Area: PERCEPTION & ACTION: Vision