White observers read Black male faces as angrier and more hostile
Evidence
Evidence of this devaluation was demonstrated by a comparison of computerized facial images of a White male and a Black male (Hugenberg & Bodenhausen, 2003). Researchers showed participants a series of images transitioning from “angry” to “neutral” to “happy” and asked them to determine when a face appeared happy. The results of these findings pointed to a lack of empathy recognition among White participants for Black individuals. In essence, Black males appeared to be angrier, more hostile, and more serious than White counterparts. Along these lines, prosecutors may struggle to gauge their defendants’ honesty or intent based on facial expressions or body language alone. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1389
Categorization
Category: Factual Claims
- XREF: Connects to the established literature on emotion recognition bias across racial groups (e.g., Hugenberg’s own work), and to embodied-cognition debates relevant to my reading on judgment and decision-making.
- SHARE: This specific finding about threshold for ‘happy’ face detection varying by target race is a precise, citable nugget for a colleague working on implicit bias or trial advocacy.