Cognitive Shortcuts - Do Foreign Faces Look Alike?
"All Americans look alike" is a common joke in Asia and a similar sentiment is expressed in virtually every other country populated by a race different than its tourists. And to some degree it is true. Most people find it much harder to recognize faces of people from different races than their own. During a 15-month research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Teesside University academic Dr. Kazuyo Nakabayashi will carry out experiments in Japan and the UK and collate behavioral and eye movement data. The study will involve asking students from different races to look at Oriental and Caucasian faces in photographs and online and will examine the ‘recognition keys’ they use – their eye movement, for example. read more