Brain scan 'identifies race bias among white people'

A brain scan that can apparently root out racists has been developed by
scientists.

The technique was used on white volunteers shown photographs of black
individuals.

In those with racist tendencies, a surge of activity was seen in part
of the brain that controls thoughts and behaviour. Scientists believe
this reflected volunteers' attempts to to curb their latent racism.

After interacting with real black individuals, the same group performed
poorly in a task designed to test mental resources.

The American researchers concluded that harbouring racial prejudice,
even unintentionally, stirred up an inner struggle that exhausted the
brain.

Dr Jennifer Richeson, assistant professor of psychological and brain
sciences at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, said: "We were
surprised to find brain activity in response to faces of black
individuals predicted how research participants performed on cognitive
tasks after actual interracial interactions."

The scientists first measured the racial bias of 30 white individuals
using a standard technique.

Volunteers were given a computer test to record the ease with which
they associated with white and black racial groups with concepts that
were positive or negative. Those with higher levels of racial bias took
longer to associate white people with negative concepts and black
people with positive concepts.

The study participants were then asked to interact with either a white
or a black individual. Afterwards, they underwent a test which involved
making a mental effort to inhibit instinctive responses.

The scan experiment employed a technique called functional magnetic
resonance imaging (fMRI) to map brain activity.

Story filed: 13:54 Sunday 16th November 2003

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