Developmental trends in bystander reactions to the social exclusion of different types of immigrant peers

• In Event: How to Address Prejudice and Discrimination in Childhood and Adolescence

Abstract

One way to reduce bias and discrimination is to encourage bystander reactions which challenge prejudiced-based or intergroup social exclusion (Aboud & Joong, 2008; Palmer & Abbot, 2018). This requires an understanding of developmental differences regarding how children and adolescents react as bystanders to intergroup social exclusion. Developmental research suggests that from middle childhood into adolescence, individuals increasingly consider group membership when evaluating intergroup social exclusion (Rutland & Killen, 2017). For example, children and adolescents often consider whether a peer is perceived to be from a similar or different group. In addition, research suggests a developmental increase in awareness of discrimination between middle childhood and adolescence (Brown, 2017; Brown & Bigler, 2005). The present study examined whether this developmental trend was revealed in children’s bystander reactions to the intergroup exclusion of immigrants from different backgrounds.

Intergroup social exclusion based upon immigrant group membership is becoming more common with the rise of anti-immigrant attitudes among youth around the world (Brown & Lee, 2015; Gönültaş & Mulvey, 2019; Miklikowska, 2017, 2018). The present study examined how children and adolescents viewed the social exclusion of ‘similar’ versus ‘different’ immigrant peers when deciding how to react as a bystander. We presented British children (8-11 years) and adolescents (12-15 years) with one of three scenarios where a newcomer wants to join a group of British peers (n = 332, female 50%) and the group always excludes the newcomer. In two experimental conditions the newcomer was either British or a member of an immigrant group perceived be ‘similar’ to British (i.e., Australian). In the final experimental condition, the newcomer was a member of an immigrant group perceived to be ‘different’ to British (i.e., Turkish) and one that commonly experiences stigmatization in Europe (British Youth Council, 2016; Gniewosz & Noack, 2015). Participants indicated their likely bystander reactions, in terms of explicitly challenging or supporting and implicitly challenging or supporting the social exclusion. It was found that children were more likely to explicitly challenge the social exclusion of a British (Australian) newcomer than a Turkish newcomer (p=.012). Adolescents were also more likely to challenge the social exclusion of a Turkish newcomer than children were (p=.02). Moreover, adolescents were equally likely to explicitly challenge social exclusion regardless of the newcomer’s immigrant group (p=.13), see Figure 1. Findings suggest that children’s bystander reactions are driven by a preference for supporting peers perceived to be similar, whereas adolescents’ bystander reactions are driven by perceptions that ‘different’ immigrant peers need more support.

This finding has implications for how to encourage majority status children to challenge intergroup social exclusion. Interventions involving parents and teachers need to facilitate perceptions among majority status children that social exclusion can often result from discrimination and create psychological harm in the recipient. An awareness of discrimination would help majority status children to be more likely to engage in prosocial bystander behavior that challenges social exclusion, especially of minority status and stigmatized immigrant peers.

Authors

• Adam Rutland, University Of Exeter
  Presenting Author

• Sally Barbara Palmer, University Of Exeter
  Non-Presenting Author

• Eirini Ketzitzidou Argyri, University Of Exeter
  Non-Presenting Author

• Luke McGuire, University Of Exeter
  Non-Presenting Author

• Melanie A. Killen, University of Maryland - College Park
  Non-Presenting Author