Children's Intergroup Attitudes Research Articles

Children's Lay Theories About Ingroups and Outgroups: Reconceptualizing Research on Prejudice

The consensus from the developmental literature examining children's intergroup attitudes has been that children as young as 3 years of age exhibit racial prejudice. We suggest, however, that as much of the developmental research has confounded ingroup positivity and outgroup negativity, it becomes difficult to determine whether young children are displaying ingroup bias or outgroup derogation. Furthermore, it appears that young children are not demonstrating hostility toward outgroups; studies that have separately assessed evaluations toward the ingroup and outgroup demonstrate that rather than evaluating the outgroup negatively, young children are demonstrating a positivity bias toward their ingroup. We propose, therefore, that young children are primarily utilizing a perceptually based lay theory that does not necessitate outgroup derogation. We argue, however, that children's lay theories are subject to social structural conditions and specific social transitions, and hence, can lead to the development of prejudice.

Social Categorization and the Formation of Intergroup Attitudes in Children

The study was designed to test several hypotheses derived from intergroup theory concerning the effects of the presence of a novel social category on the formation of intergroup attitudes. Elementary school children (N = 61; aged 6-9) were given measures of classification skill and self-esteem and assigned to 1 of 3 types of school classrooms in which teachers made: (1) functional use of "blue" and "yellow" groups assigned on the basis of a biological attribute, (2) functional use of "blue" and "yellow" groups assigned on the basis of a random drawing, or (3) no explicit groups (despite the presence of blue and yellow groups). After 4 weeks, children completed measures of intergroup attitudes and behavior. As predicted, the functional use of color groups affected children's attitudes toward group members, with children showing consistent biases favoring their own group. Children with higher levels of self-esteem showed higher levels of intergroup stereotyping.

Social Categorization and the Formation of Intergroup Attitudes in Children

Social Categorization and the Formation of Intergroup Attitudes in Children

Self-Evaluations and Intergroup Attitudes in Children Aged Three to Nine

The effects of individual and group performance on children's evaluations of themselves and in- and out-group were examined. 128 girls and boys aged 3, 5, 7, and 9 years were randomly assigned to alleged "fast" or "slow" teams and asked to make various self, interpersonal, and intergroup evaluations. These showed strong developmental changes. Intergroup comparisons were made as early as 3 years, and this age group was sensitive to the relative standing of their team. However, the 5-year-old children showed markedly high self-evaluations, very strong in group bias in their evaluations of the 2 teams, and a high level of group cohesion irrespective of their own team's alleged performance. Gender differences were observed in self-evaluations after team assignment (boys responding more than girls to their team's alleged performance). The implications of these findings for recent work based on cognitive-developmental and social identity theories are discussed.

Self-Evaluations and Intergroup Attitudes in Children Aged Three to Nine

Self-Evaluations and Intergroup Attitudes in Children Aged Three to Nine

Catholic and Protestant young people's ratings of stereotyped Protestant and Catholic faces*

The present paper describes a series of studies which suggest that facial stimuli may provide a method of assessing intergroup attitudes in children in Northern Ireland. Experiments 1 and 2 outline the selection and testing of suitable stereotyped face stimuli; while Expt 3 describes an attempt to measure adolescents' attitudes toward both their own and other groups using these faces. Results indicated differences between the two religious groups in their ratings of the two face types, which produce an insight into young people's perceptions of in‐group and out‐group membership in Northern Ireland.

New Problems in Intercultural Education

The threat of Fascism and the advent of the Second World War prompted American educational circles to embark on a type of educational strategy designed to instil mature intergroup attitudes in children and youth-intercultural education. Fifteen years later, a decline is noted in intercultural programming and literature.' In part, this decline can be attributed to a shift in the national climate, i.e., from a concern about racism and prejudice to that of the Cold War. In addition, the intercultural emphasis in education is subsumed and practiced under a variety of programs and titles-human relations, social studies, intergroup education, and the like. Beyond, however, the important problems that are likely to arise from a consideration of the history and development of intercultural education, we now need to re-evaluate its capacity to (1) abandon theories, assumptions and practices of questionable validity and (2) to face the problems that are now being generated by the intersection of intercultural education and the separation of church and state. In general, intercultural education seeks to establish and promote productive intergroup relations within the confines of the school community. The strategic location of the public schools in American society would appear to make them ideal instrumentalities for acquainting the nation's school-age population with the demands and requirements of the democratic expectation. Formal programs in intercultural education seek to achieve this end in three primary areas: (1) administration, e.g., organizing the school system on a non-segregated basis, proper teacher selection, etc.; (2) curriculum, e.g., through choice and presentation of subject matter, courses in social studies, use of art, drama, song, and visual aids stressing intercultural themes and the democratic ideal; (3) promoting intergroup contact and communication, e.g., providing opportunities for contact and exchange among members of the various ethnic, racial and religious groups in a variety of school-sponsored activities. In addition, intercultural education can be manifested in types of programs involving teacher-education, community organizational resources, PTA's, and the like.

Children's Intergroup Attitudes

Children's Intergroup Attitudes