Explicit And Implicit Perceptions Of Facial Trustworthiness: White And Black Perspectives In An Intergroup Context

Previous research demonstrates that our initial impressions of a person’s trustworthiness are influenced by the presence of meaningful combinations of facial features perceived as trustworthy (e.g., large round eyes, mouths with upturned corners). Although trustworthiness is crucial to interpersonal interactions, it may be even more important in racial intergroup contexts, wherein misunderstandings and miscommunications can fuel conflict and mistrust between groups. Across four experiments, I examined whether the way that facial cues influence evaluations of trustworthiness differs depending on the race of the target (the person being evaluated) and the race of the perceiver (the person doing the evaluation). Although both White and Black perceivers used facial cues to assess trustworthiness, the impact of target race varied depending on whether the task involved implicit or explicit responding. White participants explicitly rated Black compared to White faces as more trustworthy, but implicitly associated Black faces with untrustworthiness. Black participants also explicitly rated Black faces as more trustworthy, but target race did not impact their implicit trustworthiness judgements. The potential role of social concerns in intergroup trustworthiness evaluations and methodological implications for future research on perceptions of facial trustworthiness are discussed.