title: The neural correlates of memory encoding and recognition for own-race and other-race faces.
abstract: People are generally better at recognizing faces from their own race than from a different race, as has been shown in numerous behavioral studies. Here we use event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate how differences between own-race and other-race faces influence the neural correlates of memory encoding and recognition. ERPs of Asian and Caucasian participants were recorded during the study and test phases of a Remember-Know paradigm with Chinese and Caucasian faces. A behavioral other-race effect was apparent in both groups, neither of which recognized other-race faces as well as own-race faces; however, Caucasian subjects showed stronger behavioral other-race effects. In the study phase, memory encoding was assessed with the ERP difference due to memory (Dm). Other-race effects in memory encoding were only found for Caucasian subjects. For subsequently "recollected" items, Caucasian subjects showed less positive mean amplitudes for own-race than other-race faces indicating that less neural activation was required for successful memory encoding of own-race faces. For the comparison of subsequently "recollected" and "familiar" items, Caucasian subjects showed similar brain activation only for own-race faces suggesting that subsequent familiarity and recollection of own-race faces arose from similar memory encoding processes. Experience with a race also influenced old/new effects, which are ERP correlates of recollection measured during recognition testing. Own-race faces elicited a typical parietal old/new effect, whereas old/new effects for other-race faces were prolonged and dominated by activity in frontal brain regions, suggesting a stronger involvement of post-retrieval monitoring processes. These results indicate that the other-race effect is a memory encoding- and recognition-based phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA. grit.herzmann@googlemail.com
authors.forename: Grit
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Herzmann
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Willenbockel
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Curran
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D044382:Population Groups; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult