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Neuroscientists find evidence for 'visual stereotyping'
From MedicalXpress:
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The stereotypes we hold can influence our brain's visual system, prompting us to see others' faces in ways that conform to these stereotypes, neuroscientists at New York University have found.
...
The research relies on an innovative mouse-tracking technique that uses an individual's hand movements to reveal unconscious cognitive processes—and, specifically, the stereotypes they hold. Unlike surveys, in which individuals can consciously alter their responses, this technique requires subjects to make split-second decisions about others, thereby uncovering a less conscious preference through their hand-motion trajectory. Using this mouse-tracking software Freeman developed, the millimeters of movement of a test subject's mouse cursor can be linked with brain-imaging data to discover otherwise hidden impacts on specific brain processes.
In the first of two studies, Freeman and Stolier monitored subjects' brain activity—using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)—while these subjects viewed different faces: male and female as well as those of various races and depicting a range of emotions. Outside the brain scanner, the subjects were asked to quickly categorize the gender, race, and emotion of the faces using the mouse-tracking technique. Despite their conscious responses, the subjects' hand movements revealed the presence of several stereotypical biases. Notably, men, and particularly Black men, were initially perceived "angry," even when their faces were not objectively angry; and women were initially perceived "happy," even when their faces were not objectively happy. In addition, Asian faces were initially perceived "female" and Black faces were initially perceived "male," regardless of the faces' actual gender. The researchers confirmed, using a separate group of subjects, that the specific pattern of visual biases observed matched prevalent stereotypical associations in the U.S. to a significant degree.
The researchers' fMRI findings backed these assessments, demonstrating that such stereotypical biases may be entrenched in the brain's visual system, specifically in the fusiform cortex, a region involved in the visual processing of faces. For instance, the neural-activation patterns elicited by Black male faces in this region were more similar to those elicited by objectively angry faces, even when such faces did not display any actual angry features (e.g., due to stereotypes of Black individuals as hostile). Moreover, the extent of this stereotypical similarity in neural-activation patterns was correlated with the extent of bias observed in a subject's hand movements. For example, the extent to which a subject's hand initially veered toward the "angry" response when categorizing a non-angry Black male face predicted the extent to which neural-activation patterns for Black male faces and angry faces were more strongly correlated in the subject's fusiform cortex.
more ...
[/center]
The stereotypes we hold can influence our brain's visual system, prompting us to see others' faces in ways that conform to these stereotypes, neuroscientists at New York University have found.
...
The research relies on an innovative mouse-tracking technique that uses an individual's hand movements to reveal unconscious cognitive processes—and, specifically, the stereotypes they hold. Unlike surveys, in which individuals can consciously alter their responses, this technique requires subjects to make split-second decisions about others, thereby uncovering a less conscious preference through their hand-motion trajectory. Using this mouse-tracking software Freeman developed, the millimeters of movement of a test subject's mouse cursor can be linked with brain-imaging data to discover otherwise hidden impacts on specific brain processes.
In the first of two studies, Freeman and Stolier monitored subjects' brain activity—using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)—while these subjects viewed different faces: male and female as well as those of various races and depicting a range of emotions. Outside the brain scanner, the subjects were asked to quickly categorize the gender, race, and emotion of the faces using the mouse-tracking technique. Despite their conscious responses, the subjects' hand movements revealed the presence of several stereotypical biases. Notably, men, and particularly Black men, were initially perceived "angry," even when their faces were not objectively angry; and women were initially perceived "happy," even when their faces were not objectively happy. In addition, Asian faces were initially perceived "female" and Black faces were initially perceived "male," regardless of the faces' actual gender. The researchers confirmed, using a separate group of subjects, that the specific pattern of visual biases observed matched prevalent stereotypical associations in the U.S. to a significant degree.
The researchers' fMRI findings backed these assessments, demonstrating that such stereotypical biases may be entrenched in the brain's visual system, specifically in the fusiform cortex, a region involved in the visual processing of faces. For instance, the neural-activation patterns elicited by Black male faces in this region were more similar to those elicited by objectively angry faces, even when such faces did not display any actual angry features (e.g., due to stereotypes of Black individuals as hostile). Moreover, the extent of this stereotypical similarity in neural-activation patterns was correlated with the extent of bias observed in a subject's hand movements. For example, the extent to which a subject's hand initially veered toward the "angry" response when categorizing a non-angry Black male face predicted the extent to which neural-activation patterns for Black male faces and angry faces were more strongly correlated in the subject's fusiform cortex.
more ...
