Racial Stereotype Application in 4-to-8-Year-Old White American Children: Emergence and Specificity

Abstract

Young children’s racial stereotyping is poorly understood even though stereotyping can influence individuals’ attitudes and behavior toward others. Here we present two preregistered studies (Total N = 257) examining White American children’s (4–8 years) application of six stereotypes (about being American, smart, wealthy, sporty, honest, and nice) when considering Asian, Black, and White children. We observed clear and consistent evidence for one cultural stereotype across the two studies: participants indicated that Asian and Black children were less American than White children. In a measure of racial attitudes, participants also preferred White children over Black and Asian children. Taken together, this research suggests that, in contrast to findings from previous work, White American children only consistently applied stereotypes about being American. Moreover, this research suggests that children’s cultural stereotypes might diverge from children’s attitudes early in development. These studies raise new questions about the emergence of racial stereotype application early in childhood–including how best to study it.