Novel Insights on the Development of Social Group Stereotypes and how to Change Them

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Many social group stereotypes and biases emerge early in development. At the same time, children are flexible and powerful learners, and childhood is a promising period for combating stereotypes and biases. This symposium brings together new research examining the development of social group stereotypes as well as how stereotypes can be changed during childhood.

Paper 1 demonstrates the early emergence of the outgroup homogeneity effect – a bias foundational to stereotyping. Infants perceive ingroup members as more distinct individuals and expect ingroup members to have more distinct preferences compared to outgroup members. Paper 2 shows that school-age girls already endorse gender-based stereotypes about effort. Girls believe that they work harder in math than boys, and more effort is required for girls to do well in math. Paper 3 demonstrates that implicit gender stereotypes and implicit racial bias are highly malleable in childhood, and can be changed through exposure to counter-stereotypic information. Paper 3 also discusses a recent theoretical model on the role of implicit bias in producing biased behaviors, and its implications for developmental research. Finally, paper 4 shows that children’s attitudes and beliefs about ingroups and outgroups can be changed through exposure to a randomly drawn sample from the groups, suggesting a novel method for changing children’s stereotypes and biases.

Together, these papers provide new insights on the development of various types of stereotypes and biases across a wide age range. These findings have important implications for designing interventions that effectively change stereotypes and biases from a young age.

Sub Unit

• Diversity, Equity & Social Justice

Chair

• Rongzhi Liu, University of California - Berkeley

Individual Presentations

• Infants’ Biased Individuation of In-group Members - Presenting Author: Gil Diesendruck, Bar Ilan University; Matar Ferera, Bar-Ilan University; Adi Fogiel Zehavi, Bar-Ilan University; Jonas Hermes, University of Göttingen; Hannes Rakoczy, University of Göttingen

• The Development and Consequences of Children’s Stereotypes about Effort - Presenting Author: Bethany Lassetter, New York University; Natalie Ann Hutchins, New York University; Vivian Liu, New York University; Natalie Toomajian, New York University; Andrei Cimpian, New York University

• Pathways to Reducing Bias in the Mind and Behavior in Childhood - Presenting Author: Cameron Hall, University of British Columbia (UBC); Antonya Gonzalez, Western Washington University; Katharina Block, New York University; Jennifer Steele, York University; Toni Schmader, University of British Columbia; Andrew Scott Baron, University of British Columbia (UBC)

• Changing Children’s Intergroup Biases and Social Stereotypes Through Statistical Counterevidence - Presenting Author: Rongzhi Liu, University of California - Berkeley; Izabella Goldring, Bar-Ilan University; Hilla Asraf, Bar-Ilan University; Gil Diesendruck, Bar Ilan University; Fei Xu, University of California - Berkeley