title: Field study on the choice of friends in two multi-racial pre-schools (South Africa/London).
abstract: The present research examined the influence of the two independent variables sex and race on the choice of friends in pre-school children. Data for this investigation were collected in two pre-schools, one situated in Stellenbosch, South Africa, the other in London, U.K. Both schools have in common that they accommodate children of different racial backgrounds (black, white, and coloured children), but the children's experience with desegregated classrooms differ. Friendship was operational defined with thirteen categories, summarized to the basic category pro-social behaviour. Fifty hours of free-play time were taped with one video camera in South Africa, and hundred hours were taped with two video cameras in London. The results showed that sex and race interact in their effect on the choice of friends. In South Africa race is supposed to be a strong indicator for friendship choices, especially for black children, whereas the black children in London choose friends more or less on the basis of sex.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Psychologie der Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Exenberger
mesh_terms: D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D011287:Prejudice; D012578:Schools, Nursery; D012737:Sex Factors; D012933:Social Identification; D013019:South Africa; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*