title: Development and psychometric validation of a child Racial Attitudes Index (RAI).
abstract: The Racial Attitudes Index (RAI) measures a child's racial attitudes. Designed for children aged 5-9 years, the RAI is delivered over the Internet using Audio Computer Assisted Self-Interviewing (ACASI). Unlike traditional binary forced-choice instruments, the RAI uses an expanded response format permitting a more nuanced understanding of patterns of children's racial attitudes. In addition to establishing psychometric evidence of the RAI technical adequacy, hypotheses about RAI item response patterns were tested. The racial attitudes of 336 Black and White children in grades K-3 were assessed using a forced-choice instrument (Preschool Racial Attitudes Measure II) and the RAI. Findings from this study indicate measures obtained with the RAI are technically adequate, and the measure functions invariantly across racial groups. Also, patterns of children's racial attitudes measured with the RAI are more nuanced than those obtained using the forced-choice response format.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, FM, Portland, OR, 97239, USA. clakha@ohsu.edu.|Deparment of Sociology, Emory University, 1555 Dickey Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA. clakha@ohsu.edu.
authors.forename: Khaya D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, 75205, USA.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yovanoff
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, Ethnic Studies and Psychology Building, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA.
authors.forename: Charlotte Ursula
authors.initials: CU
authors.lastname: Tate
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D012938:Social Perception
keywords: Childhood development; Prejudice; Racial and ethnic attitude and relations; Social cognition