The brain works differently when considering a person's face from the same race than when trying to remember the faces of people of other races. Biological evidence suggests the existence of "other race effect", ie people are more difficult to remember the faces of different racial groups.
The team of researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, United States, do some research to find out what causes the difference between perception and memory. They use a recording electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure brain activity when volunteers watched a stack of facial images.
The researchers found that brain activity increased in the first 200-250 milliseconds when looking at the face, both the same race or other races. Previous research associate this early phase, the so-called brain potential N200, a process of perception distinguish one individual to another. This process includes the understanding of everyone's unique facial features, such as eye and nose shape them.
The study showed that the magnitude of the increase in brain activity to predict whether the face is just another race, not the same race, will be remembered. "There seems to be the critical phase after the faces of other races appear to determine whether the face was going to be remembered or forgotten," said Heather Lucas, principal investigator of the study.
N200 waves big enough for all face the same race, whether recalled or not. In contrast, the wave is much greater for faces of other races who are remembered rather than forgotten.
The findings showed that individuals with attention to the introduction of salient features of the face is not running for some of the faces of other races.
"Previous research found that, when we label and categorize people based on race, we finally focus more on the common attribute in that group, such as color kufit, and less attention to the attributes that distinguish one individual to another," Lucas said .*** [LIVESCIENCE|KORAN TEMPO 3580]
