Mind, Body and Race: A Look Into How Racial Biases and Interoceptive Cues Influence Emotion Perception

Ahmad, Faiza

Mind, Body and Race: A Look Into How Racial Biases and Interoceptive Cues Influence Emotion Perception

Abstract

This study examined the role of implicit race-based biases in shaping emotion perception, and explored whether implicit race biases are moderated by level of interoceptive activity. A total of 78 White, Black and Asian participants took part in this study and completed an emotional Go/NoGo task in which they were asked to categorize different race faces as portraying either anger or fear. While participants completed the task, electromyography (EMG) activity of the Corrugator Supercilli muscle was measured. Results indicated firstly, that the odds of responding to Black faces in the fear target condition were less than the odds of responding to White faces in the fear target condition. Secondly, the odds of responding to Black faces in the fear target condition were less than the odds of responding to Black faces in the anger target condition. These effects were significant for White, Asian and Black participants, and suggest a weaker implicit association between Blackness and fear compared to Whiteness and fear, as well as compared to Blackness and anger. EMG results were not statistically significant, though further exploration of the data is required.

Description

46 pages

Date Issued

2020-08

Keywords

anger; bias; emotion; fear; perception; race

Committee Chair

Anderson, Adam K.
DeRosa, Eve D.

Degree Discipline

Human Development

Degree Name

M.A., Human Development

Degree Level

Master of Arts

Rights

Attribution 4.0 International

Rights URI

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Types

dissertation or thesis