Social identities and intergroup bias in immigrant and nonimmigrant children.
Ethnic and American identity, as well as positivity and negativity toward multiple social groups, were assessed in 392 children attending 2nd or 4th grade in various New York City neighborhoods. Children from 5 ethnic groups were recruited, including White and Black Americans, as well as recent immigrants from China, the Dominican Republic, and the former Soviet Union. For ethnic minority children, greater positivity bias (evaluating one's ingroup more positively than outgroups) was predicted by immigrant status and ethnic identity, whereas negativity bias (evaluating outgroups more negatively than one's ingroup) was associated with increased age, immigrant status, and (among 4th graders only) ethnic identity. In addition, a more central American identity was associated with less intergroup bias among ethnic minority children.
Pfeifer
Jennifer H
JH
Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, USA. jpfeifer@ucla.edu
Rubble
Diane N
DN
Bachman
Meredith A
MA
Alvarez
Jeannette M
JM
Cameron
Jessica A
JA
Fuligni
Andrew J
AJ
D001290:Attitude; D015982:Bias; D002648:Child; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012933:Social Identification