| Recognition memory for faces is a neurocognitive capacity that can be disrupted when right hemisphere (RH) damage occurs. Face recognition memory (FRM) has been studied extensively by clinical neuropsychologists, who have used a range of research strategies. The stimulus faces in the majority of these tests, however, are of White individuals, and thus raise questions about validity when used with nonwhite patient populations.; This experiment tested the cross-racial identification bias (CRIB) hypothesis in a sample of Black and White, young adults using a “racially reciprocal” photograph stimulus. The CRIB hypothesis states that same-race recognition (SRR) is better than other-race recognition (ORR). This social psychology theory has clinical implications because any confounding effects of race can cause diagnostic “false positives” or “false negatives.”; Because of the dearth of published, racially diverse tests, the Michigan Faces Recognition Memory Test (MI-FRMT) was developed for this experiment. The MI-FRMT is modeled after the recognition memory for faces subtest of the Warrington-Recognition Memory Test, a well-known stimulus used to detect lateralized neuropsychological deficits. The primary difference between the two tests is that MI-FRMT includes equal numbers of pictures of Blacks and Whites.; Two hundred Blacks and Whites, ages 18–30 years, participated in this experiment. Test groups were divided equally between race and gender, with 50 subjects in each cell. Subjects completed the Shipley Institute of Living Scale, then guessed the age of the face in each of the 50 test photographs. Immediately thereafter, the recall trial was administered and subjects were asked to select which of 2 faces they remembered. A demographic questionnaire was the final measure. Results endorsed the CRIB hypothesis in Blacks and Whites, but effects were stronger for Blacks. Two caveats, however, are the (1) large sample size studied, and (2) the exposure to diverse cultures in Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan. Nonetheless, these findings substantiate other literature which suggests that Blacks have stronger FRM skills, in general, than Whites. This is clinically important because Blacks would be at risk for “false negative” diagnoses in FRM assessments that present Whites only. Similarly, Whites might be given “false positive” diagnoses in racially-diverse tools. |
