Development of visual preference for own- versus other-race faces in infancy - PubMed

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• PMID: 25664830
• DOI: 10.1037/a0038835

Development of visual preference for own- versus other-race faces in infancy

Shaoying Liu et al. Dev Psychol. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

Previous research has shown that 3-month-olds prefer own- over other-race faces. The current study used eye-tracking methodology to examine how this visual preference develops with age beyond 3 months and how infants differentially scan between own- and other-race faces when presented simultaneously. We showed own- versus other-race face pairs to 3-, 6-, and 9-month-old Chinese infants. In contrast with 3-month-olds' visual preference for own-race faces, 9-month-olds preferentially looked more at other-race faces. Analyses of eye-tracking data revealed that Chinese infants processed own- and other-race faces differentially. These findings shed important light on the role of visual experience in the development of visual preference and its relation to perceptual narrowing.

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