How robust is the own-group face recognition bias? Evidence from first- and second-generation East Asian Canadians.

There is mounting evidence that North Americans are better able to remember faces of targets who belong to the same social group, and this is true even when the social groups are experimentally created. Yet, how Western cultural contexts afford the development of this own group face recognition bias...

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Main Authors: Andy H Ng, Jennifer R Steele, Joni Y Sasaki, Meghan George
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2020-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233758
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author Andy H Ng
Jennifer R Steele
Joni Y Sasaki
Meghan George
author_facet Andy H Ng
Jennifer R Steele
Joni Y Sasaki
Meghan George
author_sort Andy H Ng
collection DOAJ
description There is mounting evidence that North Americans are better able to remember faces of targets who belong to the same social group, and this is true even when the social groups are experimentally created. Yet, how Western cultural contexts afford the development of this own group face recognition bias remains unknown. This question is particularly important given that recent findings suggest that first-generation East Asian Canadians do not show this bias. In the current research, we examined the own-group bias among first- and second-generation East Asian Canadians, who vary systematically in their exposure to and engagement in a Western cultural context, and tested mediators that could explain any difference. In Study 1, second-generation East Asian Canadians showed better memory for same-group (vs. other-group) faces. In Studies 2 and 3, as well as a meta-analysis of all three studies, we found some additional evidence that second-generation East Asian Canadians show better memory for same-group (vs. other-group) faces, whereas first-generation East Asian Canadians do not, but only when each cultural group was examined separately in each study, as no interaction with generational status emerged. In Study 2, and in a higher powered pre-registered Study 3, we also examined whether second- (vs. first-) generational status had a positive indirect effect on same-group face recognition through the effects of acculturation and perceived relational mobility in the immediate social environment, however this mediation model was not supported by the data. Overall, the results provide some additional evidence that the effect of mere social categorization on face recognition may not be as consistently found among East Asian participants.
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spelling doaj.art-4eafca70149b482980e666623880fd162022-12-21T23:31:23ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032020-01-01155e023375810.1371/journal.pone.0233758How robust is the own-group face recognition bias? Evidence from first- and second-generation East Asian Canadians.Andy H NgJennifer R SteeleJoni Y SasakiMeghan GeorgeThere is mounting evidence that North Americans are better able to remember faces of targets who belong to the same social group, and this is true even when the social groups are experimentally created. Yet, how Western cultural contexts afford the development of this own group face recognition bias remains unknown. This question is particularly important given that recent findings suggest that first-generation East Asian Canadians do not show this bias. In the current research, we examined the own-group bias among first- and second-generation East Asian Canadians, who vary systematically in their exposure to and engagement in a Western cultural context, and tested mediators that could explain any difference. In Study 1, second-generation East Asian Canadians showed better memory for same-group (vs. other-group) faces. In Studies 2 and 3, as well as a meta-analysis of all three studies, we found some additional evidence that second-generation East Asian Canadians show better memory for same-group (vs. other-group) faces, whereas first-generation East Asian Canadians do not, but only when each cultural group was examined separately in each study, as no interaction with generational status emerged. In Study 2, and in a higher powered pre-registered Study 3, we also examined whether second- (vs. first-) generational status had a positive indirect effect on same-group face recognition through the effects of acculturation and perceived relational mobility in the immediate social environment, however this mediation model was not supported by the data. Overall, the results provide some additional evidence that the effect of mere social categorization on face recognition may not be as consistently found among East Asian participants.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233758
spellingShingle Andy H Ng
Jennifer R Steele
Joni Y Sasaki
Meghan George
How robust is the own-group face recognition bias? Evidence from first- and second-generation East Asian Canadians.
PLoS ONE
title How robust is the own-group face recognition bias? Evidence from first- and second-generation East Asian Canadians.
title_full How robust is the own-group face recognition bias? Evidence from first- and second-generation East Asian Canadians.
title_fullStr How robust is the own-group face recognition bias? Evidence from first- and second-generation East Asian Canadians.
title_full_unstemmed How robust is the own-group face recognition bias? Evidence from first- and second-generation East Asian Canadians.
title_short How robust is the own-group face recognition bias? Evidence from first- and second-generation East Asian Canadians.
title_sort how robust is the own group face recognition bias evidence from first and second generation east asian canadians
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233758
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