title: Perceptual training prevents the emergence of the other race effect during infancy.
abstract: Experience plays a crucial role in the development of the face processing system. At 6 months of age infants can discriminate individual faces from their own and other races. By 9 months of age this ability to process other-race faces is typically lost, due to minimal experience with other-race faces, and vast exposure to own-race faces, for which infants come to manifest expertise [1]. This is known as the Other Race Effect. In the current study, we demonstrate that exposing Caucasian infants to Chinese faces through perceptual training via picture books for a total of one hour between 6 and 9 months allows Caucasian infants to maintain the ability to discriminate Chinese faces at 9 months of age. The development of the processing of face race can be modified by training, highlighting the importance of early experience in shaping the face representation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom. michelle.delaney@uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heron-Delaney
authors.forename: Gizelle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Anzures
authors.forename: Jane S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Herbert
authors.forename: Paul C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.forename: Alan M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Slater
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Kang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pascalis
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D044469:Racial Groups; D013663:Teaching; D013997:Time Factors; D014796:Visual Perception; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*