The study by Phelps et al. (2000) explores how unconscious racial evaluations influence amygdala activation in White Americans. Using fMRI, they found that the strength of amygdala activation to Black versus White faces was correlated with two indirect measures of racial evaluation: the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and startle reflex potentiation. These results suggest that unconscious biases affect emotional responses to racial groups. In Experiment 1, White subjects showed greater amygdala activation to unfamiliar Black faces compared to White faces, indicating a negative unconscious evaluation of Black faces. This effect was not observed when the faces belonged to familiar, positively regarded individuals in Experiment 2. The study highlights that amygdala activity reflects cultural and individual experiences in evaluating social groups. The findings suggest that the amygdala is involved in indirect, nonconscious responses to racial groups, rather than conscious attitudes. The results also show that amygdala activation is related to unconscious racial biases but not to conscious self-reported attitudes. The study underscores the importance of understanding unconscious social evaluations in social cognition.The study by Phelps et al. (2000) explores how unconscious racial evaluations influence amygdala activation in White Americans. Using fMRI, they found that the strength of amygdala activation to Black versus White faces was correlated with two indirect measures of racial evaluation: the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and startle reflex potentiation. These results suggest that unconscious biases affect emotional responses to racial groups. In Experiment 1, White subjects showed greater amygdala activation to unfamiliar Black faces compared to White faces, indicating a negative unconscious evaluation of Black faces. This effect was not observed when the faces belonged to familiar, positively regarded individuals in Experiment 2. The study highlights that amygdala activity reflects cultural and individual experiences in evaluating social groups. The findings suggest that the amygdala is involved in indirect, nonconscious responses to racial groups, rather than conscious attitudes. The results also show that amygdala activation is related to unconscious racial biases but not to conscious self-reported attitudes. The study underscores the importance of understanding unconscious social evaluations in social cognition.