Pathways to Reducing Bias in the Mind and Behavior in Childhood

• In Event: Novel Insights on the Development of Social Group Stereotypes and how to Change Them

Abstract

Intergroup biases develop throughout childhood as children form implicit associations linking certain concepts, values, and beliefs to social categories (for review, see Rhodes & Baron, 2019). Once formed, these implicit associations prove difficult to change in adulthood (Forscher et al., 2019). This paper will explore data from two studies that suggest childhood may present a particularly effective period to (re)train implicit attitudes and stereotypes. This paper will also examine developmental applications for a new theoretical framework (Schmader et al., 2022) that examines the relationship between bias in the mind and biased behavior.

In Study 1 we show that implicit math-gender stereotypes are highly malleable in childhood; following exposure to a counter-stereotypical story, bias decreased to non-significant levels, whereas exposure to a stereotype perpetuating story increased bias levels above baseline in a sample of children ages 6-11-years (N=336, 169 girls). While no significant age effect was found, the influence of story on implicit bias was stronger in younger children (under 9). Given that children begin to reliably show an implicit math = male stereotype by age 6 (Cvencek, 2011), our work suggests this association is highly malleable in the years following its initial acquisition.

In Study 2 we examined if exposure to vignettes depicting prosocial Black exemplars modulated 5-to 12-year-old children (N=239, 140 girls) and adults’ (N=99, 79 women) implicit race attitudes. Older children (9-to 12-year-olds) showed evidence of bias malleability, as participants who were exposed to Black exemplars displayed significantly less implicit pro-white/anti-Black racial bias than children exposed to white exemplars-- even 1 hour after vignette exposure. Younger children (5-to 8-year-olds) also displayed less racial bias after exposure to Black exemplars, however effects were marginal (likely due to low baseline levels of bias). Critically, adults initially showed no effect of exemplar exposure -- only in a follow-up study which introduced additional instructions to internalize the presented association (Black = good, white = bad) did adults exposed to the Black exemplars display less implicit pro-White/anti-Black racial bias. Taken together, these studies suggest that implicit bias may be significantly more malleable in early-to-mid childhood than in adulthood.

However, it remains unclear if changing implicit bias in the mind is enough to reduce discriminatory behavior (Chang et al., 2019). Therefore, as a secondary aim of this paper, we draw on a recent theoretical model (Schmader et al. 2022) which identifies distinct pathways to biased behavior, in order to make strategic recommendations for developmental psychologists aiming to reduce intergroup bias. In particular, we will discuss how an individual’s awareness of their bias, motivation to control their bias, and ability to successfully regulate their bias independently and jointly contribute to the expression of biased behavior. This framework takes us beyond the traditional anti-bias intervention approach which seeks primarily to target bias in the mind through changing existing associations, by additionally considering methods to directly change biased behavior.

Authors

• Cameron Hall, University of British Columbia (UBC)
  Presenting Author

• 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)