Bias in Young Children

Posted: April 7, 2024 | Author: Judy Sklar Rasminsky | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bias, inclusion, racism, unconscious-bias |Leave a comment

By Barbara Kaiser and Judy Sklar Rasminsky

There are currently 18 American states that restrict teaching about race, diversity, equity, and inclusion in children’s classrooms.

 This means that no one in those schools can talk about the factors in society that lead to or indicate racial inequity—for example, the fact that head teachers and principals are usually white and assistant teachers and aides are usually persons of color, and that these two groups have different responsibilities and powers.

Although most of us never notice or discuss this state of affairs, it is apparent to the children we care for—even 3-month-old babies—and it gives them many hours of adult behavior to study and copy. They notice our preferences and prejudices, how we organize the day, communicate with them, and choose books and activities.

“Their brains are tuned to remember and imitate what they see us do,” explain professors Andrew N. Meltzoff and Walter S. Gilliam. “Child development research shows that young children are finely attuned to cues about prestige, power, and social status,” and they use these observations to understand the world. Everything they see is accepted as true and shapes their own biases without any words being spoken. 

“Young children are social pattern detectors,” write Meltzoff and Gilliam. “They study our behavior and sometimes the nonverbal messages they receive aren’t always the ones we want to send…. When we exhibit biases in front of young children we’re instilling our biases in their minds.”

By the time they’re 3 or 4 years old, white children show a preference for white faces when they take part in experiments, and by age 4 or 5 they hold negative attitudes toward blacks and are less likely to have them as friends.

On the other hand, 3- or 4-year-old black children don’t share this preference for their own group and may even prefer faces of a more prestigious color.

In addition, by this time children have probably also absorbed the racial messages contained in television, movies, and YouTube. Did you know that 7 of 11 princesses in Disney productions are white?

Becoming aware of race in the U.S. 

Research tells us:

• 3-month-olds prefer the faces of certain racial groups
• 9-month-olds use race to categorize faces
• 3-year-olds associate some racial groups with negative traits
• 4-year-olds associate whites with wealth and higher status
• Among 5-year-olds, race-based discrimination is widespread

Talking about race

When asked in a study by psychologists Jessica Sullivan, Leigh Wilton, and Evan P. Apfelbaum, adults thought children should be 5 years old before they brought up the subject of race. Many white parents avoided the topic altogether, telling children, “Skin color doesn’t matter,” or “We’re all the same on the inside,” or “It’s not polite to talk about that.”

 Sullivan believes this is a mistake. “Even if adults don’t talk about race, children will work to make sense of their world and will come up with their own ideas, which may be inaccurate or detrimental.” Wilton adds, “It can be difficult to undo racial bias once it takes root. Talking about race will only get more difficult as they get older.”

How can we approach bias?

Psychologists make these suggestions:  

• First of all, be aware of the existence of bias. Children may show bias and preferences in their interactions or treat one another differently because of their race, ethnicity, or gender. Be on the lookout for a change in children’s behavior, for example if someone is uncharacteristically quiet, or chooses an unusual toy or playmate, or doesn’t want to come to the program. 

• Don’t ignore bias. Instead use it as an inspiration for story selection, activities, and projects. Be sure the children understand that a person’s appearance is never an acceptable reason for teasing or rejecting someone. Respond at once to any biased comment, such as, “I don’t want to play with her. She walks funny.” Bring the group together later and help them to realize that everyone speaks or walks differently. Ask, “How would you feel if…”, “Can you say more about…?” “Why do you think this happened?” This helps the children to think about gender roles and other biases. 

• Remember that adults—you included—are models for how children react to one another. Understanding your own preferences and biases will help you to figure out whether there’s social bias in your classroom.  

• Keep in mind that it takes time to change patterns of thinking so dealing with bias will be a gradual process for everyone. 

• Make your classroom a showplace for diversity. Because most of us work in programs where the children are all from the same culture or are all the same color, it is extra important to introduce diversity in a positive way, counter stereotypes, and help the children appreciate the differences found in the real world. Display images of all the children and families in your program and remove anything that promotes stereotypes, such as store-bought posters. Instead have the children make their own posters with pictures or items that are important to them. If your group isn’t diverse use images from your community or elsewhere in the country. Add culturally authentic toys and materials that reflect the cultures of the families and children—books, dolls, toys, wall decorations, even music and dances. Show people in nontraditional roles, people of color in leadership positions, people with disabilities doing familiar activities. 

• See every child through a strength-based lens and talk positively about each child’s physical characteristics and cultural heritage. 

• Let children know that unjust things can be changed. Encourage them to challenge bias and involve them in taking action on issues relevant to their lives.

• Discuss similarities and differences in the children in your group. It’s these differences that make us unique. Framing difference as a good thing encourages children to feel safe and more comfortable asking questions and talking about differences. 

References

American Psychological Association (2020, August 27). Children notice race several years before adults want to talk about it. https://www.apa.org/topics/equity-diversity-inclusion

Armstrong, A. (2019, June 4). Bias starts as early as preschool, but can be unlearned. https://edutopia.org/article/bias-starts-early-preschool-can-be-unlearned/

Biles, B. (1994). Activities that promote racial and cultural awareness. National Network for Child Care. In C.M. Todd (Ed.). Family child care connections, 4(3), 1-4. Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service.

Meltzoff, A. N. & Gilliam, W. S. (Winter 2024). Young children and implicit racial biases. Daedalus, 153(1), 65-83.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (1999). Teaching young children to resist bias. https://www.pbs.org/kcts/preciouschildren/diversity/read_teaching.html#:~:text=Give%20them%20tools%20to%20confront,%2C%20comics%2C%20and%20on%20TV.

Perszyk, D. R., Lei, R. F., Bodenhausen, G. V., Richeson, J. A., & Waxman, S. R. (2019, January 23). Bias at the intersection of race and gender: Evidence from preschool-aged children. Developmental Science, 22(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12788

Rizzo, M. T., Britton, T. C., & Rhodes, M. (2022, November). Developmental origins of anti-Black bias in white children in the United States: Exposure to and beliefs about racial inequality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(47): ezz09129119.

Rizzo, M. T., Green, E. R., Dunham, Y., Bruneau, E., & Rhodes, M. (2021, August). Beliefs about social norms and racial inequalities predict variation in the early development of racial bias. Developmental Science, 25(2).

Rucinski, C. (2023). EmbraceRace’s 2023 Reflections on racial learning. https://www.embracerace.org/community/reflections-on-childrens-racial-learning

Sullivan, J., Wilton, L., & Apfelbaum, E. P. (2021, February). Adults delay conversations about race because they underestimate children’s processing of race. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 150(2): 395-400. https//doi.org/10.1037/xge0000851

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