Preschoolers select playmates on the basis of gender and race

Abstract

Behavioral measures and playmate preferences were observed in all 90 children enrolled in an urban preschool. Patterns of play activities, social involvement, verbalization, and positive and negative acts were similar for boys and girls and black, white, and foreign-born Asian racial groups. Overall, all groups of children preferred playing dyadically with same-sex classmates. Girls showed a relative preference for same-race/same-sex playmates and greater relative avoidance for white boys than black or Asian boys. Boys showed a relative preference for white- race/same-sex playmates and least relative avoidance for same-race girls. The results with girls contradict implications from the racial attitudes literature. The overall pattern of results was explained on the basis of the interaction of two factors: children's responses to the higher status of white boys and the perceived physical attraction of same-race children.