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Bagnis A, Colonnello V, Russo PM, Mattarozzi K. Facial trustworthiness dampens own-gender bias in emotion recognition. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2024; 88:458-465. [PMID: 37558932 PMCID: PMC10858080 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-023-01864-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
Previous research suggests that emotion recognition is influenced by social categories derived by invariant facial features such as gender and inferences of trustworthiness from facial appearance. The current study sought to replicate and extend these findings by examining the intersection of these social categories on recognition of emotional facial expressions. We used a dynamic emotion recognition task to assess accuracy and response times in the happiness and anger categorization displayed by female and male faces that differed in the degree of facial trustworthiness (i.e., trustworthy- vs. untrustworthy-looking faces). We found that facial trustworthiness was able to modulate the own-gender bias on emotion recognition, as responses to untrustworthy-looking faces revealed a bias towards ingroup members. Conversely, when faces look trustworthy, no differences on emotion recognition between female and male faces were found. In addition, positive inferences of trustworthiness lead to faster recognition of happiness in females and anger in males, showing that facial appearance was able to influence also the intersection between social categories and specific emotional expressions. Together, these results suggest that facial appearance, probably due to the activation of approach or avoidance motivational systems, is able to modulate the own-gender bias on emotion recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Bagnis
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Sant'Orsola Hospital, Pad. 21, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Valentina Colonnello
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Sant'Orsola Hospital, Pad. 21, Bologna, Italy
| | - Paolo Maria Russo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Sant'Orsola Hospital, Pad. 21, Bologna, Italy
| | - Katia Mattarozzi
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Sant'Orsola Hospital, Pad. 21, Bologna, Italy
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2
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Ziegler S, Bozorgmehr K. "I don´t put people into boxes, but…" A free-listing exercise exploring social categorisation of asylum seekers by professionals in two German reception centres. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 4:e0002910. [PMID: 38394055 PMCID: PMC10889701 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Newly arriving asylum seekers in Germany mostly live in large reception centres, depending on professionals in most aspects of their daily lives. The legal basis for the provision of goods and services allows for discretionary decisions. Given the potential impact of social categorisation on professionals' decisions, and ultimately access to health and social services, we explore the categories used by professionals. We ask of what nature these categorisations are, and weather they align with the public discourse on forced migration. Within an ethnographic study in outpatient clinics of two refugee accommodation centres in Germany, we conducted a modified free-listing with 40 professionals (physicians, nurses, security-personnel, social workers, translators) to explore their categorisation of asylum seekers. Data were qualitatively analysed, and categories were quantitatively mapped using Excel and the Macro "Flame" to show frequencies, ranks, and salience. The four most relevant social categorisations of asylum seekers referred to "demanding and expectant," "polite and friendly" behaviour, "economic refugees," and "integration efforts". In general, sociodemographic variables like gender, age, family status, including countries and regions of origin, were the most significant basis for categorisations (31%), those were often presented combined with other categories. Observations of behaviour and attitudes also influenced categorisations (24%). Professional considerations, e.g., on health, education, adaption or status ranked third (20%). Social categorisation was influenced by public discourses, with evaluations of flight motives, prospects of staying in Germany, and integration potential being thematised in 12% of the categorisations. Professionals therefore might be in danger of being instrumentalised for internal border work. Identifying social categories is important since they structure perception, along their lines deservingness is negotiated, so they potentially influence interaction and decision-making, can trigger empathy and support as well as rejection and discrimination. Larger studies should investigate this further. Free-listing provides a suitable tool for such investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Ziegler
- Section for Health Equity Studies & Migration, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Population Medicine and Health Services Research, School of Public Health, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Kayvan Bozorgmehr
- Section for Health Equity Studies & Migration, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Population Medicine and Health Services Research, School of Public Health, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
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3
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Bagnis A, Todorov A, Altizio I, Colonnello V, Fanti S, Russo PM, Mattarozzi K. Familiarity From Facial Appearance Leads to Hypoalgesia. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2023; 24:2040-2051. [PMID: 37356606 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2023.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
Social context has been shown to influence pain perception. This study aimed to broaden this literature by investigating whether relevant social stimuli, such as faces with different levels of intrinsic (based on physical resemblance to known individuals) and episodic (acquired through a previous experience) familiarity, may lead to hypoalgesia. We hypothesized that familiarity, whether intrinsic or acquired through experience, would increase pain threshold and decrease pain intensity. Sixty-seven participants underwent pain induction (the cold pressor test) viewing previously seen faces (Episodic Group) or new faces (Non-episodic Group) that differed in the level of intrinsic familiarity (high vs low). Pain threshold was measured in seconds, while pain intensity was measured on a rating scale of 0 to 10. The results did not show an effect of episodic familiarity. However, compared to low, high intrinsic familiar faces had an attenuating effect on pain intensity, even after controlling for pain expectation. These results suggest that physical features conveying a higher feeling of familiarity induce a top-down hypoalgesic modulation, in line with the idea that familiarity may signal safety and that the presence of familiar others reduce perceived threat-related distress. This study provides further evidence on the social modulation of pain and contributes to the literature on first impressions' influence on social behavior. PERSPECTIVE: Consistent with the idea that familiar others signal safety and reduce the sense of threat, facial features conveying familiarity induce a top-down hypoalgesic modulation. This knowledge may contribute to understanding differences in pain perception in experimental and clinical contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Bagnis
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alexander Todorov
- Booth School of Business, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Ilenia Altizio
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Valentina Colonnello
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Stefano Fanti
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Paolo Maria Russo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Katia Mattarozzi
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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4
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Oswald F, Adams RB. Feminist Social Vision: Seeing Through the Lens of Marginalized Perceivers. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2022:10888683221126582. [PMID: 36218340 PMCID: PMC10391697 DOI: 10.1177/10888683221126582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Social vision research, which examines, in part, how humans visually perceive social stimuli, is well-positioned to improve understandings of social inequality. However, social vision research has rarely prioritized the perspectives of marginalized group members. We offer a theoretical argument for diversifying understandings of social perceptual processes by centering marginalized perspectives. We examine (a) how social vision researchers frame their research questions and who these framings prioritize and (b) how perceptual processes (person perception; people perception; perception of social objects) are linked to group membership and thus comprehensively understanding these processes necessitates attention to marginalized perceivers. We discuss how social vision research translates into theoretical advances and to action for reducing negative intergroup consequences (e.g., prejudice). The purpose of this article is to delineate how prioritizing marginalized perspectives in social vision research could develop novel questions, bridge theoretical gaps, and elevate social vision's translational impact to improve outcomes for marginalized groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flora Oswald
- The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, USA
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5
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Ficco L, Müller VI, Kaufmann JM, Schweinberger SR. Socio‐cognitive, expertise‐based and appearance‐based accounts of the other‐‘race’ effect in face perception: A label‐based systematic review of neuroimaging results. Br J Psychol 2022; 114 Suppl 1:45-69. [DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Linda Ficco
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
- Department of Linguistics and Cultural Evolution International Max Planck Research School for the Science of Human History Jena Germany
| | - Veronika I. Müller
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf Düsseldorf Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience und Medicine (INM‐7) Research Centre Jülich Jülich Germany
| | - Jürgen M. Kaufmann
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
| | - Stefan R. Schweinberger
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
- Department of Linguistics and Cultural Evolution International Max Planck Research School for the Science of Human History Jena Germany
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6
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Raghunath BL, Sng KHL, Chen SHA, Vijayaragavan V, Gulyás B, Setoh P, Esposito G. Stronger brain activation for own baby but similar activation toward babies of own and different ethnicities in parents living in a multicultural environment. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10988. [PMID: 35768627 PMCID: PMC9243063 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15289-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Specific facial features in infants automatically elicit attention, affection, and nurturing behaviour of adults, known as the baby schema effect. There is also an innate tendency to categorize people into in-group and out-group members based on salient features such as ethnicity. Societies are becoming increasingly multi-cultural and multi-ethnic, and there are limited investigations into the underlying neural mechanism of the baby schema effect in a multi-ethnic context. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine parents' (N = 27) neural responses to (a) non-own ethnic in-group and out-group infants, (b) non-own in-group and own infants, and (c) non-own out-group and own infants. Parents showed similar brain activations, regardless of ethnicity and kinship, in regions associated with attention, reward processing, empathy, memory, goal-directed action planning, and social cognition. The same regions were activated to a higher degree when viewing the parents' own infant. These findings contribute further understanding to the dynamics of baby schema effect in an increasingly interconnected social world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bindiya Lakshmi Raghunath
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kelly Hwee Leng Sng
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - S H Annabel Chen
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,Centre for Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,Office of Educational Research, National Institute of Education, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vimalan Vijayaragavan
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Balázs Gulyás
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Peipei Setoh
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gianluca Esposito
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
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7
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Almeida OFX, Sousa N. Leveraging Neuroscience to Fight Stigma Around Mental Health. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 15:812184. [PMID: 35295248 PMCID: PMC8919064 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.812184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Labels serve as identifiers and convenient descriptors of inanimate and animate objects. In humans, given labels can easily become part of an individual’s self-perceived identity. Negative labels ascribed to a person can result in internalized stigma, a state that will shape the subject’s biography. This can ultimately impact the person’s mental and physical health since perceived and/or anticipated stigma discourages the use of social and health services. Per definition, stigma involves labeling of persons with physical, mental, or social characteristics that do not match the observer’s arbitrarily conditioned and calibrated sense of norms (public stigma); such labeling may eventually become embedded in rules, regulations, and laws (structural stigma). Internalized stigma projects onto a person’s emotions and actions. Public (enacted) stigma results from stereotyping (collectively agreed-upon notions about a group of persons that are used to categorize these people) and devaluation, which subsequently leads to social distancing, discrimination, and blatant abuse of human rights. Much of what we know about stigma results from research in the psychosocial sciences and, more recently, from social neuroscience. The stigma around mental health has generated much attention in the field of psychiatry where, to date, most research has focussed on epidemiology and anti-stigma interventions. This essay intends to stimulate thought, debate, and research within the behavioral neuroscience community and, therefore, to inform evidence-based design and implementation of neuroscience-based approaches by other professionals working towards the elimination of the stigma attached to mental illness. The article starts by considering the concept of stigma and the psychological processes that give rise to the phenomenon; it also considers how projected and perceived stigma are multiplied. Finally, after a brief review of the few existing neuroscientific explorations of stigma, gaps in our knowledge of the neurobiological basis of stigma are identified and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osborne F. X. Almeida
- School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- *Correspondence: Osborne F. X. Almeida
| | - Nuno Sousa
- School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
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8
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Zhu H, Wang A, Collins HR, Yue Y, Xu S, Zhu X. The encoding of race during face processing, an event-related potential study. Perception 2021; 50:842-860. [PMID: 34623190 DOI: 10.1177/03010066211048573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
It is well known that adults spontaneously classify people into social categories and this categorization in turn guides their cognition and behavior. A wealth of research has examined how people perceive race and investigated the effect of race on social behavior. But what about race encoding? Although considerable behavioral research has investigated the encoding of race, that is, the social categorization by race, the neural underpinning of it is largely underexplored. To investigate the time course of race encoding, the current study employed a modified category verification task and a multivariate analyzing approach. We found that racial information became decodable from event-related potential topographies as early as about 200 ms after stimulus onset. At this stage, the brain can differentiate different races in a task-relevant manner. Nonetheless, it is not until 100 ms later that racial information is encoded in a socially relevant manner (own- versus other-race). Importantly, perceptual differentiation not only occurs before the encoding of the race but actually influences it: the faces that are more easily perceptually categorized are actually encoded more readily. Together, we posit that the detection and the encoding of race are decoupled although they are not completely independent. Our results provide powerful constraints toward the theory-building of race.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haidong Zhu
- Department of Psychology, 70586Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
| | - Anqi Wang
- Department of Psychology, 70586Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
| | - Heather R Collins
- Department of Radiology, 158155Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Yaqi Yue
- Department of Psychology, 70586Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
| | - Shuhui Xu
- Department of Psychology, 26495Wenzhou University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xun Zhu
- Department of Psychology, 70586Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China; Department of Psychology, 26495Wenzhou University, Zhejiang, China
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9
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Lantos D, Molenberghs P. The neuroscience of intergroup threat and violence. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:77-87. [PMID: 34534553 PMCID: PMC9620594 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a global increase in hate crimes and xenophobia. In these uncertain times, real or imaginary threats can easily lead to intergroup conflict. Here, we integrate social neuroscience findings with classic social psychology theories into a framework to better understand how intergroup threat can lead to violence. The role of moral disengagement, dehumanization, and intergroup schadenfreude in this process are discussed, together with their underlying neural mechanisms. We outline how this framework can inform social scientists and policy makers to help reduce the escalation of intergroup conflict and promote intergroup cooperation. The critical role of the media and public figures in these unprecedented times is highlighted as an important factor to achieve these goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorottya Lantos
- Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Social Research Institute, University College London, United Kingdom.
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10
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Handley G, Kubota JT, Li T, Cloutier J. Impact of interracial contact on inferring mental states from facial expressions. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:202137. [PMID: 34295514 PMCID: PMC8292755 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.202137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Although decades of research have shown that intergroup contact critically impacts person perception and evaluation, little is known about how contact shapes the ability to infer others' mental states from facial cues (commonly referred to as mentalizing). In a pair of studies, we demonstrated that interracial contact and motivation to attend to faces jointly influence White perceivers' ability to infer mental states based on facial expressions displaying secondary emotions from both White targets alone (study 1) and White and Black targets (study 2; pre-registered). Consistent with previous work on the effect of motivation and interracial contact on other-race face memory, we found that motivation and interracial contact interacted to shape perceivers' accuracy at inferring mental states from secondary emotions. When motivated to attend to the task, high-contact White perceivers were more accurate at inferring both Black and White targets' mental states; unexpectedly, the opposite was true for low-contact perceivers. Importantly, the target race did not interact with interracial contact, suggesting that contact is associated with general changes in mentalizing irrespective of target race. These findings expand the theoretical understanding and implications of contact for fundamental social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Handley
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, DE, USA
| | - Jennifer T. Kubota
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, DE, USA
- Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Delaware, DE, USA
| | - Tianyi Li
- College of Business Administration, University of Illinois Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jasmin Cloutier
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, DE, USA
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11
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Workman CI, Humphries S, Hartung F, Aguirre GK, Kable JW, Chatterjee A. Morality is in the eye of the beholder: the neurocognitive basis of the "anomalous-is-bad" stereotype. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2021; 1494:3-17. [PMID: 33565114 PMCID: PMC8247878 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Are people with flawed faces regarded as having flawed moral characters? An "anomalous-is-bad" stereotype is hypothesized to facilitate negative biases against people with facial anomalies (e.g., scars), but whether and how these biases affect behavior and brain functioning remain open questions. We examined responses to anomalous faces in the brain (using a visual oddball paradigm), behavior (in economic games), and attitudes. At the level of the brain, the amygdala demonstrated a specific neural response to anomalous faces-sensitive to disgust and a lack of beauty but independent of responses to salience or arousal. At the level of behavior, people with anomalous faces were subjected to less prosociality from participants highest in socioeconomic status. At the level of attitudes, we replicated previously reported negative character evaluations made about individuals with facial anomalies, and further identified explicit biases directed against them as a group. Across these levels of organization, the specific amygdala response to facial anomalies correlated with stronger just-world beliefs (i.e., people get what they deserve), less dispositional empathic concern, and less prosociality toward people with facial anomalies. Characterizing the "anomalous-is-bad" stereotype at multiple levels of organization can reveal underappreciated psychological burdens shouldered by people who look different.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clifford I. Workman
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
- Penn Brain Science CenterUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
- Penn Center for NeuroaestheticsUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
| | - Stacey Humphries
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
- Penn Brain Science CenterUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
- Penn Center for NeuroaestheticsUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
| | - Franziska Hartung
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
- Penn Brain Science CenterUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
- Penn Center for NeuroaestheticsUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
| | | | - Joseph W. Kable
- Penn Brain Science CenterUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
- Penn Center for NeuroaestheticsUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
| | - Anjan Chatterjee
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
- Penn Brain Science CenterUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
- Penn Center for NeuroaestheticsUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania
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12
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Barnett BO, Brooks JA, Freeman JB. Stereotypes bias face perception via orbitofrontal-fusiform cortical interaction. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:302-314. [PMID: 33270131 PMCID: PMC7943359 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research has shown that social-conceptual associations, such as stereotypes, can influence the visual representation of faces and neural pattern responses in ventral temporal cortex (VTC) regions, such as the fusiform gyrus (FG). Current models suggest that this social-conceptual impact requires medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) feedback signals during perception. Backward masking can disrupt such signals, as it is a technique known to reduce functional connectivity between VTC regions and regions outside VTC. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), subjects passively viewed masked and unmasked faces, and following the scan, perceptual biases and stereotypical associations were assessed. Multi-voxel representations of faces across the VTC, and in the FG and mOFC, reflected stereotypically biased perceptions when faces were unmasked, but this effect was abolished when faces were masked. However, the VTC still retained the ability to process masked faces and was sensitive to their categorical distinctions. Functional connectivity analyses confirmed that masking disrupted mOFC-FG connectivity, which predicted a reduced impact of stereotypical associations in the FG. Taken together, our findings suggest that the biasing of face representations in line with stereotypical associations does not arise from intrinsic processing within the VTC and FG alone, but instead it depends in part on top-down feedback from the mOFC during perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin O Barnett
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Jeffrey A Brooks
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Jonathan B Freeman
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
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13
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Pavlova MA, Romagnano V, Fallgatter AJ, Sokolov AN. Face pareidolia in the brain: Impact of gender and orientation. PLoS One 2021; 15:e0244516. [PMID: 33382767 PMCID: PMC7774913 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Research on face sensitivity is of particular relevance during the rapidly evolving Covid-19 pandemic leading to social isolation, but also calling for intact interaction and sharing. Humans possess high sensitivity even to a coarse face scheme, seeing faces in non-face images where real faces do not exist. The advantage of non-face images is that single components do not trigger face processing. Here by implementing a novel set of Face-n-Thing images, we examined (i) how face tuning alters with changing display orientation, and (ii) whether it is affected by observers’ gender. Young females and males were presented with a set of Face-n-Thing images either with canonical upright orientation or inverted 180° in the image plane. Face impression was substantially impeded by display inversion. Furthermore, whereas with upright display orientation, no gender differences were found, with inversion, Face-n-Thing images elicited face impression in females significantly more often. The outcome sheds light on the origins of the face inversion effect in general. Moreover, the findings open a way for examination of face sensitivity and underwriting brain networks in neuropsychiatric conditions related to the current pandemic (such as depression and anxiety), most of which are gender/sex-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina A. Pavlova
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Valentina Romagnano
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas J. Fallgatter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders (DZNE), Medical School and University Hospital, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexander N. Sokolov
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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14
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Celeghin A, Mazzoni N, Mattavelli G. Editorial: Explicit and Implicit Emotion Processing: Neural Basis, Perceptual and Cognitive Mechanisms. Front Psychol 2020; 11:584469. [PMID: 33101153 PMCID: PMC7554233 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.584469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Celeghin
- Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
- *Correspondence: Alessia Celeghin
| | - Noemi Mazzoni
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Giulia Mattavelli
- School of Advanced Studies Istituto Universitario Studi Superiori Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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Bagnis A, Celeghin A, Diano M, Mendez CA, Spadaro G, Mosso CO, Avenanti A, Tamietto M. Functional neuroanatomy of racial categorization from visual perception: A meta-analytic study. Neuroimage 2020; 217:116939. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
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Bagnis A, Caffo E, Cipolli C, De Palma A, Farina G, Mattarozzi K. Judging health care priority in emergency situations: Patient facial appearance matters. Soc Sci Med 2020; 260:113180. [PMID: 32682206 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Extensive research has shown that implicit trait inferences from facial appearance can bias everyday life in a pervasive way, influencing our decisions in different social contexts such as mate choice, political vote and criminal sentence. In situations characterized by time pressure and scant information, decisions based on inferences from facial appearance may have particularly critical and serious consequences, such as in emergency healthcare. No studies today have investigated this aspect in an actual emergency. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to go beyond this gap and to determine whether implicit inferences from patients' facial appearance could be predictive of disparities in clinical evaluations and priority of treatment. METHODS In total, 183 cases of patients were evaluated by independent judges at zero acquaintance on the basis of different implicit facial appearance-based inferences, including trustworthiness and distress. Color-based priority code (White, Green, or Yellow) attributed by the triage nurse at the end of the registration process were recorded. RESULTS Our results showed that more trustworthy- and distressed- looking patients' faces have been associated with a higher priority code. CONCLUSIONS The present study shows that specific facial appearance-based inferences influence the attribution of priority code in healthcare that require quick decisions based on scarce clinical information such as in emergency. These results suggest the importance to bring to the attention of the healthcare professionals' the possibility of being victims of implicit inferences, and prompt to design educational interventions capable to increase their awareness of this bias in clinical evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Bagnis
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialistic Medicine, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Italy.
| | - Ernesto Caffo
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Carlo Cipolli
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialistic Medicine, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Gabriele Farina
- Department of Emergency, Medicina d'Urgenza e Pronto Soccorso, Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna, Italy
| | - Katia Mattarozzi
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialistic Medicine, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Italy
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Group Cooperation, Carrying-Capacity Stress, and Intergroup Conflict. Trends Cogn Sci 2020; 24:760-776. [PMID: 32620334 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Peaceful intergroup relations deteriorate when individuals engage in parochial cooperation and parochial competition. To understand when and why intergroup relations change from peaceful to violent, we present a theoretical framework mapping out the different interdependence structures between groups. According to this framework, cooperation can lead to group expansion and ultimately to carrying-capacity stress. In such cases of endogenously created carrying-capacity stress, intergroup relations are more likely to become negatively interdependent, and parochial competition can emerge as a response. We discuss the cognitive, neural, and hormonal building blocks of parochial cooperation, and conclude that conflict between groups can be the inadvertent consequence of human preparedness - biological and cultural - to solve cooperation problems within groups.
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Palagi E, Celeghin A, Tamietto M, Winkielman P, Norscia I. The neuroethology of spontaneous mimicry and emotional contagion in human and non-human animals. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 111:149-165. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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Moradi Z, Najlerahim A, Macrae CN, Humphreys GW. Attentional saliency and ingroup biases: From society to the brain. Soc Neurosci 2020; 15:324-333. [PMID: 31928322 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2020.1716070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
There is ample evidence demonstrating intergroup biases on cognition and emotion. However, it remains unclear how exactly group identification influences these processes, with issues of context sensitivity and goal dependence remaining open to scrutiny. Providing a range of interdisciplinary material, the current review attempts to inform understanding of these issues. Specifically, we provide evidence revealing that individuals show enhanced attention for stimuli associated with an ingroup compared to an outgroup. At the attentional level, such biases can be explained by the assignment of different levels of saliency to ingroup versus outgroup targets. Critically, however, salience assignment is not fixed but varies as a function of context and goal-directed behavior. We suggest that the network in the brain previously associated with social and emotional saliency and attention - notably the anterior insula, posterior superior temporal sulcus, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex - underpins these effects. Moreover, although attention typically favors ingroup targets, outgroup members can be prioritized on occasion. The implications of this viewpoint and future lines of investigation are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Moradi
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC) , Cardiff, Wales, UK.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford , Oxford, England, UK
| | | | - C Neil Macrae
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen , Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - Glyn W Humphreys
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford , Oxford, England, UK
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