The Influence of Stereotypical Expectations and Valence on the Recognition of Same- and Other-Ethnicity Faces

Information that is inconsistent with a stereotypical expectation, particularly if it is negative, tends to enhance recall. In this study, we investigate whether expectancy-inconsistent and negative behaviors, elicited by the ethnicity of a face, can improve the recognition of faces perceived as belonging to an other-ethnicity (Black), within the framework of the other-ethnicity recognition deficit (OERD). We conducted five experiments involving White participants, employing a recognition paradigm. The experiments incorporated minor yet significant methodological variations, including time constraints, stimulus presentation order, response scales, the number of inconsistent trials, and racial prototypicality judgments. Overall, the results did not consistently support our hypotheses. However, the behavioral information influenced racial prototypicality judgments as anticipated. Specifically, counterstereotypical behaviors led to Black faces being perceived as less prototypical, and this effect was also observed for negative behaviors. We discuss the findings and their implications for current explanations of the OERD.