Age and Skin Tone as Predictors of Positive and Negative Racial Attitudes in Hispanic Children

Abstract

Past research suggests that both White children and minority children, including Hispanics, hold pro-White biases. Although doll studies have been a popular way of assessing racial attitudes among children, several methodological issues have made it challenging to interpret the results from these studies. Furthermore, past research has failed to consider the independence of positive and negative attitudes. The present study utilized a revised doll technique to look at racial attitude development in 116 Hispanic children aged 3 to 10. Results contradict past findings, as the vast majority of the children showed no in-group bias (preference for Hispanics over other groups) or out-group bias (preference for other groups over Hispanics). Nonetheless, Hispanic children showed a slight preference for Whites over Blacks and Asians, and racial attitudes differed as a function of age and skin tone. Results from this study suggest that positive and negative attitudes are influenced by different factors.