In a series of significant experiments, Fiske and colleagues began by showing a group of white subjects a series of photos of unfamiliar faces, including both black and white ones. Monitoring the subjects using an fMRI brain scan, they found that the amygdala was activated when subjects viewed black faces, but not when they were shown photos of their own race. Previous studies had found that the more the amygdala “lit up,” the higher the person scored on a standard test for racial prejudice. Interestingly, the amygdala was activated to at least some degree, indicating a biased response, even
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