The difficulty some people have distinguishing between members of another race has become something of a joke, with minorities arguing that, in fact, "All white people look alike." Humor aside, many argue that this effect points to prejudice, ignorance or laziness--a lack of having spent time with people of other races. However, Miami University researchers blame the discrepancy on how we categorize information--and people--into groups along categories such as race, social class, taste in music or even the school one attends.
Researchers tested this theory by showing a group of Miami undergraduates two sets of faces. All were white, but students were told that the first set, the "in-group," were fellow Miami students, while a second set of "out-group" faces belonged to students at a rival school.
In fact, none of the people pictured were students at either school. However, participants "recognized" a far higher number of students they were told came from their own school.
Researchers say this suggests having a hard time distinguishing people isn't necessarily something that happens merely along racial lines.
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