Hemifacial differences in the in-group advantage in emotion recognition

Some researchers have interpreted findings of in-group advantage in emotion judgements as ethnic bias by perceivers. This study is the first linking in-group advantage to subtle differences in emotional expressions, using composites created with left and right facial hemispheres. Participants from the USA, India, and Japan judged facial expressions from all three cultures. As predicted, in-group advantage was greater for left than right hemifacial composites. Left composites were not universally more recognisable, but relatively more recognisable to in-group members only. There was greater pancultural agreement about the recognition levels of right hemifacial composites. This suggests the left facial hemisphere uses an expressive style less universal and more culturally specific than the right, and that bias alone does not cause the in-group advantage.