Impact of Face Recognition on People's Implicit Attitudes and First Impression

Jiani Wang

doi:10.54254/2753-7048/2025.HT26415

Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public MediaOpen access

Impact of Face Recognition on People's Implicit Attitudes and First Impression

Research Article

Open Access

Impact of Face Recognition on People's Implicit Attitudes and First Impression

Jiani Wang ^1*

¹ University of Manchester

^*Corresponding author: jiani.wang-4@student.manchester.ac.uk

Published on 3 September 2025

LNEP Vol.115

ISSN (Print): 2753-7056

ISSN (Online): 2753-7048

ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-329-1

ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-330-7

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Abstract

Face recognition plays a vital role in human social interaction, which enables people to quickly identify others and form an impression in a few seconds. This paper focuses on the relationship between face recognition and implicit attitude, especially the way that instant judgment formed by facial features affects people's first impression. The study reviewed a series of recent experimental studies and meta-analysis, which explored the cognitive and judgment process behind face recognition. The methods discussed in this paper include rapid impression formation task and large-scale data survey, and pay attention to the strengths and limitations of these approaches, such as the diversity of samples and the challenge of measuring implicit processes. The results show that face recognition can strongly impact people's implicit bias and attitude, which often leads to helpful or harmful social judgments. Rapid evaluation based on appearance will reinforce stereotypes and lead to errors in trust or social evaluation, especially when identifying faces of different racial groups. The study concludes that understanding these unconscious recognition processes is essential for reducing prejudice and improving social harmony. By raising awareness about the risk of bias in face recognition and developing more targeted education and reflection, people can move towards more equitable and inclusive social interactions.

Keywords:

Face Recognition, Implicit attitudes, First Impression

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