Making research less... WEIRD?

Most face libraries used in psychological research include only younger, white participants from Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic (WEIRD) cultures. These databases are not representative of the diverse range of facial characteristics and expression found in general populations globally, and this presents a major challenge to the quality and impact of research findings. The study of face perception plays a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of social dynamics, and contributes to real-world developments in fields such as medicine and technology. Dr Deema Awad’s project calls for more researchers to report the demographics of their study participants, and paves the way for more representative research through the creation of a new, inclusive face database.