Race and early face-sensitive event-related potentials in children and adults

Studies examining children's face perception have revealed devel-opmental changes in early and face-sensitive event-related poten-tial (ERP) components. Children also tend to show racial biases in their face perception and evaluation of others. The current study examined how early face-sensitive ERPs are influenced by face race in children and adults. A second objective examined face recogni-tion proficiency and implicit racial bias in relation to ERP responses to own-and other-race faces. Electroencephalographic responses were recorded while Caucasian children and adults viewed Caucasian and East Asian faces. Participants also completed recog-nition tasks and an IAT with Caucasian and East Asian faces. Other-race faces elicited larger P100 amplitudes than own-race faces. Furthermore, adults with better other-race recognition proficiency showed larger P100 amplitude responses to other-race faces com-pared with adults with worse other-race recognition proficiency. In addition, larger implicit biases favoring own-race individuals were associated with larger P100 to N170 peak-to-peak amplitudes for other-race faces in adults. In contrast, larger implicit biases favor-ing own-race individuals were associated with smaller P100 to N170 peak-to-peak amplitudes for both own-and other-race faces in 8-to 10-year-olds. There was also an age-related decrease in P100 to N170 peak-to-peak amplitudes for own-race faces among 5-to 10-year-olds with better own-race recognition proficiency. The age-related decrease in N170 latency for other-race faces was also more pronounced in 5-to 10-year-olds with better other-race recognition proficiency. Thus, recognition proficiency and implicit racial bias are associated with early ERP responses in adults and children, but in different ways. (c) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Studies have shown developmental changes in children's face perception and racial biases. The research found that there are different patterns of early ERP responses in children and adults, which are associated with face recognition proficiency and implicit racial bias. This suggests that recognition proficiency and implicit racial bias play a role in early ERP responses in both adults and children but in different ways.