title: Preschool children's attention to environmental messages about groups: social categorization and the origins of intergroup bias.
abstract: This study was designed to examine the effects of adults' labeling and use of social groups on preschool children's intergroup attitudes. Children (N=87, aged 3-5) attending day care were given measures of classification skill and self-esteem and assigned to membership in a novel ("red" or "blue") social group. In experimental classrooms, teachers used the color groups to label children and organize the classroom. In control classrooms, teachers ignored the color groups. After 3 weeks, children completed multiple measures of intergroup attitudes. Results indicated that children in both types of classrooms developed ingroup-biased attitudes. As expected, children in experimental classrooms showed greater ingroup bias on some measures than children in control classrooms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA. meaganp@mail.utexas.edu
authors.forename: Meagan M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: Rebecca S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Bigler
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D004777:Environment; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D011287:Prejudice; D012059:Rejection, Psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D012928:Social Desirability; D012933:Social Identification; D012963:Sociometric Techniques