Three experiments using Chinese or Indonesian faces as other-race faces yielded the opposite pattern of results, faster detection of same-race faces among other-race faces. This apparently inconsistent pattern of results was resolved showing that Asian and African-American faces are detected preferentially in tasks that have small stimulus sets and employ fixed target searches.  Asian and African-American other-race faces are found slower among Caucasian face backgrounds if larger stimulus sets are used in tasks with a variable mapping of stimulus to background or target.  Thus, preferential detection of other-race faces was not found under task conditions in which preferential detection of animal and social fear relevant stimuli is evident. While consistent with the view that same-race faces are processed in more detail than are other-race faces, the current findings suggest that other-race faces do not draw attention preferentially.

DOI: 10.1037/a0015530

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