Assessing the speed, spontaneity, and robustness of racial bias in pain perception

A growing body of evidence demonstrates that perceivers recognize painful expressions less readily on Black (compared to white) faces. However, it is unclear whether this bias occurs independent of controlled processing (for example, the deliberate engagement of racial stereotypes) and whether this bias is still observed when other diagnostic information (e.g., self-reported pain experience) is available. Across five experiments we examined the speed, spontaneity, and robustness of racial bias in pain perception. First, we observed that racial bias in pain perception was still evident under minimal presentation conditions (as brief as 33ms) and was most apparent for ambiguous (versus high intensity) pain expressions (Exp. 1). Next, we manipulated the amount of cognitive load participants were under while viewing and rating Black and white faces in varying degrees of pain (Exps. 2A-B). Here, we observed that perceivers had more stringent thresholds for seeing pain on Black (versus white) faces regardless of whether participants were under high (versus low) load. Finally, we examined whether this bias would persist when participants were also provided with other information regarding targets’ pain – specifically, self-reported pain experience (Exps. 3A-B). While self-report information reduced perceivers’ thresholds for seeing pain overall, racial bias in pain perception was not reliably moderated by self-reported pain experience. Together, these data demonstrate that racial bias in pain perception occurs automatically, based on minimal visual input, and above and beyond other diagnostic information.