In-group/out-group bias in contagious yawning

Abstract

Bias for an in-group is a social phenomenon characterized by an affinity for one’s in-group over a perceived out-group. Activation in the amygdala, which is implicated in social and emotional processes, is increased when humans view other-race faces. This increase in activation is associated with implicit racial bias as indicated by scores on an implicit attitude test. Contagious yawning is a social process that appears to subserve empathic processes enabling the inferential modeling of the mental states of others and is exhibited in few species other than humans, including chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides), dogs (Canis familiaris), and budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus). Despite these comparative data, little research has investigated intra-species variation in contagious yawning.