Differences in eye movements between same and other race face recognition.

Eye movements of twelve Caucasian participants were measured whilst they performed a recognition test of same (Caucasian) and other race (Indian) faces. We observed a standard other-race effect, with more items recognised correctly, fewer false alarms, and reduced reaction time to same-race than other-race faces. Additionally, a differential pattern of eye movements between races emerged. During the study phase, same-race faces were fixated more than other-race faces, whilst other-race faces resulted in a greater proportion of fixations to internal face features than same-race faces. At test, whilst no differences between races emerged in the number of fixations or in the proportion of fixations made to internal features, a significantly greater level of fixations were made to the left hemispace for other-race faces for both previously studied and lure faces. These differences in the pattern of fixation plausibly reflect the greater effort in the processing of other-race than same-race faces