The Origins of Inequality: Charting the Development of Stereotypes About Intelligence

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Stereotypes about intelligence undermine the engagement of disadvantaged social groups (e.g., Black people, women) in many prestigious careers. Yet, less is known about the origins of these stereotypes, limiting our ability to construct a fair society. To address this question, this symposium draws from new research examining children’s stereotypes about intelligence from various angles.

The first paper explores children’s intelligence stereotypes about wealth and geography, suggesting that 4- to 11-year-olds believe rich people are smarter than poor people and urban people are smarter than rural people. The second paper examines the development of racial stereotypes about intelligence and warmth: Five- to 7-year-olds attribute lower intelligence and lower warmth to Black people than White people, and 7-year-olds attribute higher intelligence and lower warmth to Asian people than White people. Next, the third paper addresses the intersection between race and gender in children’s beliefs about intellectual talents in the U.S. and China. American and Chinese children associate brilliance with White men more than White women at age six, but they associate brilliance with Asian women more than Asian men. Finally, the fourth paper specifies a model for conceptualizing trait inheritance in the context of race. In particular, it focuses on Americans’ explanations about skin color, revealing that 4- to 10-year-olds increasingly explain this trait inheritance in terms of fluid admixture.

These papers include participants occupying diverse racial, socioeconomic, and national identities, providing an encompassing investigation of the early and intricate web of stereotypes about intelligence rooted in inequality.

Sub Unit

• Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Chair

• Roya Baharloo, University of California - Berkeley

Individual Presentations

• The Development of Social Group Concepts and Stereotypes about Wealth and Geography - Presenting Author: Rachel Ann King, University of Chicago; Non-Presenting Author: Katherine D. Kinzler, University of Chicago

• The Development of Common Racial Stereotypes About Competence and Warmth - Presenting Author: Roya Baharloo, University of California - Berkeley; Non-Presenting Author: Lin Bian, University of Chicago; Non-Presenting Author: Fei Xu, University of California - Berkeley

• Who is Smart? Investigating Chinese Children’s Stereotypes About Brilliance - Presenting Author: Yuhang Shu, University of Virginia - Charlottesville; Non-Presenting Author: Qingfen Hu, Beijing Normal University; Non-Presenting Author: Fei Xu, University of California - Berkeley; Non-Presenting Author: Lin Bian, University of Chicago

• Mixed Up: Analogy and American Children’s Concepts about Racial Inheritance - Presenting Author: Rebecca Schwarzlose, Washington University in St. Louis; Non-Presenting Author: Lori Markson, Washington University in St. Louis