The interaction of attitudes toward racial membership and learning ability in school‐age children

Abstract

Although prejudice exists during childhood, it is unclear how attitudes toward peers of lower or higher academic ability and from one's own or a different racial group interact. This study qualifies previous research by showing that prejudice varies according to whether children are asked to evaluate peers based on academic ability, racial membership, or both, and whether evaluations are based on cognitive, behavioural, or affective components of attitudes. Younger children, particularly girls, had greater negative biases toward lower‐ability and different‐race target children. Gender differences were specific to attitude component, age, and target child characteristics. Consistency in prejudice was found within components, but components were differentially correlated across target children. Results are discussed from a theoretical and applied perspective.

Keywords:

• prejudice
• attitudes
• children
• race
• learning ability

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Janice Dicks, Angele Palmer and Melanie Clarke for their assistance with data collection. This study was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Notes

1. For η², a small effect = .01. medium = .06, and large = .14 (Cohen, 1988).