Exploring the Influence of Identity Centrality on Cross-Category Recognition Deficits in Race and Gender

Abstract

The cross-category recognition deficit (CRD) refers to the phenomenon in which people are more likely to recognize faces from their own category (ingroup) compared to faces from people of other categories (outgroup). The CRD is widely observed across various social categories, with well known effects in race and gender (Wallis et al., 2012). Previous research has attempted to explain the CRD through models of perceptual expertise and social cognition. However, analyses in both of these frameworks are based on the assumption that social categories are clearly bounded constructs which are presented as if they are equally shared across individuals. This study aimed to question these assumptions by measuring identity centrality, the relative importance an individual sees in a particular identity category they process, to determine whether individual differences within categories may alter the degree of CRD. This study examined the influence of identity centrality on the CRD in race and the CRD in gender for White and East Asian participants of multiple gender identities and was analyzed using a linear mixed effect model. Results found racial CRD in White participants but not East Asian participants and no gender CRD was detected. Identity centrality did not moderate these effects. However, an unexpected interaction was found between face recognition and identity centrality suggesting that there is some individual level difference within face recognition.