| Abstract: | Adults’ processing of own‐race faces differs from that of other‐race faces. The presence of an “other‐race” feature (ORF) has been proposed as a mechanism underlying this specialization. We examined whether this mechanism, which was previously identified in adults and in 9‐month‐olds, is evident at 3.5 months. Caucasian 3.5‐month‐olds looked longer at a pattern containing a single Asian face among seven Caucasian faces than at a pattern containing a single Caucasian face among seven Asian faces. Homogenous and inverted face control conditions indicated that infants’ preference was not driven by the majority of faces in arrays or by low‐level features. Thus, 3.5‐month‐olds found the presence of an other‐race face among own‐race faces to be more salient than the reverse configuration. This asymmetry suggests sensitivity to an ORF at 3.5 months. Thus, a key mechanism of race‐based processing in adults has an early onset, indicating rapid development of specialization early in life. |
