A Brief Individuation Program Reduced Implicit Racial Bias Among Singaporean Chinese Preschoolers.

• In Event: The role of affirming high quality experiences on children's wellbeing and learning

Abstract

In spring of year 2020, the tragedy of George Floyd sparked massive outrage across local and international communities. The ensuing protests against racial inequalities in law enforcement continue today, as people seek answers as to how the system could have failed a Black man, and several others before him, so badly. It is a poignant reminder that racial biases when left unchecked can lead to devastating consequences. The urgency of progressing antibias research has never been more pressing. In particular, past studies with young children have found racial biases against minority groups and people of color (e.g., Dunham et al., 2008); addressing these early manifestations of racial exclusivity forms a crucial step toward tackling bias at its roots.

The current study assessed the effectiveness of an individuation program (e.g., Qian et al., 2017) in reducing implicit racial bias. Our sample consisted of 126 Singaporean Chinese preschoolers, aged five to six years old. The Chinese comprise the racial majority in Singapore, where discourse on systemic biases that disadvantage minority groups (i.e., Malays, Indians) has garnered considerable interest. Children in the Intervention condition (n = 68) were introduced to four Indian men using photos and name labels. Rather than processing the targets in terms of how “They are all Indian,” children were encouraged to prioritize individual attributes (“His name is James!”) that distinguish members of the same racial group. Children in the Control condition (n = 58) were assigned the filler task of coloring cartoons. The Implicit Racial Bias Test was administered immediately before and after individuation or coloring (Figure 1).

One-sample t-tests confirmed that children held pro-own-race implicit bias at pre-test, Intervention: M = 0.57, SE = 0.04, t(67) = 13.76, p < .001, d = 1.67; Control: M = 0.56, SE = 0.05, t(57) = 10.94, p < .001, d = 1.44. Linear mixed models were then performed on the data, with condition by timepoint as a fixed effect, and participant identity as a random intercept to control for repeated measures. There was a significant interaction between condition and timepoint, B = -0.22, SE = 0.10, t(123) = -2.28, p = .025, suggesting greater pre-post differences in Intervention than in Control condition (Figure 2). Children in the Intervention condition experienced significant bias reduction across the two timepoints, B = -0.36, SE = 0.09, t(66) = -4.24, p < .001; in contrast, there were no notable changes to implicit bias in the Control condition, B = -0.05, SE = 0.09, t(56) = -0.60, p = .55.

In sum, the individuation program produced immediate reductions in implicit racial bias, over and above any changes observed in the control group. While the long-term effectiveness of the program remains to be established, these results are promising, especially considering that the program imposes little resource burden on the community. The program can easily be implemented by a trained adult in a ten-minute session, and it requires inexpensive and readily obtainable materials— factors which will increase its appeal to preschools looking to expand their multicultural curriculum.

Authors

• Kristy Lee, Nanyang Technological University
  Presenting Author

• Peipei Setoh, Nanyang Technological University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Miao Qian, University of Detroit Mercy
  Non-Presenting Author

• Paul C Quinn, University of Delaware
  Non-Presenting Author

• Gail D Heyman, University of California - San Diego
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kang Lee, University of Toronto
  Non-Presenting Author