The neural correlates of memory encoding and recognition for own-race and other-race faces

• Published in: Neuropsychologia Vol. 49; no. 11; pp. 3103 - 3115
• Main Authors: Herzmann, Grit, Willenbockel, Verena, Tanaka, James W., Curran, Tim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Electroencephalography; Electrophysiology; ERP; European Continental Ancestry Group; Evoked Potentials - physiology; Face; Face processing; Female; Fixation, Ocular - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Humans; Learning. Memory; Male; Memory; Memory - physiology; Memory encoding; Other-race; Own-race; Photic Stimulation; Population Groups; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Recognition; Recognition (Psychology) - physiology; Young Adult; Memory encoding; ERP; Face processing; Other-race; Recognition; Own-race; Human; Memory; Central nervous system; Electrophysiology; Cognition; Encephalon; Coding; Race; Information processing; Face; Event evoked potential
• ISSN: 0028-3932; 1873-3514; 1873-3514
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2011.07.019

► Other-race effect is a memory encoding- and recognition-based phenomenon. ► Neural correlates of encoding are more efficient and elaborate for own-race faces. ► Neural correlates of recollection are more detailed for own-race faces. ► Neural correlates of recollection are more effortful for other-race faces. ► Retrieval of other-race faces requires active monitoring. 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.