Social neuroscience of interracial contact theory

Abstract

Although extensive research has focused on intergroup contact as an intervention to mitigate group-based biases in attitudes and face recognition, the mechanism(s) through which contact shapes various facets of social cognition are still unclear. Social neuroscience provides a vital new perspective for advancing this direction in intergroup contact theory by expanding investigations of the social cognitive processes shaped by intergroup contact. The current review focuses on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies examining how interracial contact shapes social cognition in both a race-specific and a general manner. More specifically, social neuroscience work demonstrating how contact shapes face processing, race-based impression formation, and mentalizing is reviewed. These studies are introduced and discussed in the context of social psychological theories of how the other-race effect, a cross-race deficit in face recognition, is often reduced by interracial contact. Finally, we propose a theoretical social neuroscience framework positing that increased interracial contact reduces the perceived social salience of others, increases the flexibility of mentalizing engagement, and facilitates individuation in impression formation when relevant. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).