Your brain is lightning-fast at processing info about *you*, but that speed boost doesn't apply to people who just look like you.
It has long been theorized that racial in-group bias is an extension of our inherent 'self-bias.' This study finds they are cognitively distinct: while people are uniquely fast at recognizing things related to 'the self,' that efficiency does not transfer to their racial group, suggesting that self-preference and tribal-preference are not the same mechanism.
Dissociating Self and Social Biases: The Self-Reference Effect Does Not Automatically Generalise to Racial In-Group Prioritization
SSRN · 6442003
The self-reference effect (SRE) biases processing toward self-relevant stimuli, which are perceived faster and more accurately than other-associated information. Although well-established in Western populations, the SRE's universality across diverse societies and its potential extension to racial categories remains unclear. South Africa's segregated history and multiracial present provide a unique context for investigating these questions. We tested the SRE and its probable role in in-