Racial versus Gender Preferences in African American Preschoolers from Predominantly Black or White Preschools Público
Gibson, Bentley Lorene (2010)
Published
Abstract
Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) suggests that
children have an in-group
preference. The majority of studies making these conclusions have
examined Caucasian
children. The goal of this research was to examine African American
children's development of
gender and racial preferences, and how these variables impact
sharing behavior. In experiment
1, 55 children between ages 3 and 5 (half from predominantly Black
preschools, half from
predominantly White preschools) were tested in a modified version
of the Mamie & Kenneth
Clark doll preference paradigm. All children were asked to indicate
which of two dolls they
preferred, would befriend and the doll that was most like them in
three conditions with two dolls
in each: (1) same race (Black) and different gender (boy vs. girl)
dolls, (2) same gender as
participant, different race dolls (White vs. Black), and (3) two
identical dolls, same race and
gender as participant (sharing control condition). Participants
were also asked to distribute coins
amongst themselves and the dolls. Results revealed no overall
differences in preference by
school type, age or gender. In relation to Social Identity Theory,
although the majority of
children identified with the Black doll, they did not have a racial
in-group preference. A
significant gender in-group preference was revealed. Their racial
and gender preferences did not
bias sharing behavior. Children shared equally with both dolls and
gave the majority of the coins
to themselves. Experiment 2 tested an additional 64 children in
conditions allowing them to
participate in all possible combinations of a Black girl doll,
Black boy doll, White girl doll and a
White boy doll. The sharing game was also modified, removing the
participant as a reward
recipient. Results revealed again no significant racial in-group
preference, but a strong effect of
gender in-group preference. There were no overall significant
differences in racial preference
between school types. There were small, yet significant differences
in the number of goods
participants shared between dolls. Results suggest that this may be
the early onset of bias
sharing behaviors based on children's preferences and that an
in-group bias is not always
observed in African American children.
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
……………………………………………
…………………………………….....
8
Review of
Literature…………………………………………………………………………….
9
Purpose of Study and
Hypotheses………………………………………………………18
Methodology (Experiment
One)………………………………………………………….20
Results (Experiment
One)……………………………………………………………………26
Discussion (Experiment
One)………………………………………………………………38
Introduction to Experiment
Two…………………………………………………………
41
Methodology (Experiment
Two)………………………………………………………...
42
Results (Experiment
Two)…………………………………………………………………….45
Discussion (Experiment
Two)…………………………………………………………….…62
General
Conclusions………………………………………………………………...…........65
References………………………………………………………………………………………......70
List of
Tables…………………………………………………………………………………….....77
Appendix
(Tables)………………………………………………………………………………..
79
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