Development and psychometric validation of a child Racial Attitudes Index (RAI)

Abstract

The Racial Attitudes Index (RAI) measures a child's racial attitudes. Designed for children aged 5-9 years, the RAI is delivered over the Internet using Audio Computer Assisted Self-Interviewing (ACASI). Unlike traditional binary forced-choice instruments, the RAI uses an expanded response format permitting a more nuanced understanding of patterns of children's racial attitudes. In addition to establishing psychometric evidence of the RAI technical adequacy, hypotheses about RAI item response patterns were tested. The racial attitudes of 336 Black and White children in grades K-3 were assessed using a forced-choice instrument (Preschool Racial Attitudes Measure II) and the RAI. Findings from this study indicate measures obtained with the RAI are technically adequate, and the measure functions invariantly across racial groups. Also, patterns of children's racial attitudes measured with the RAI are more nuanced than those obtained using the forced-choice response format.Keywords Racial and ethnic attitude and relations . Prejudice . Childhood development . Social cognitionEvidence from explicit attitudes research shows that young children display racial biases as early as 3 to 5 years of age

Explicit and Implicit Biases in Students’ Skin Colours Aesthetic Preferences

“…In their scientific literature analysis about ethnic prejudices, Clark et al, (2017) mentioned studies that had shown tendencies of light-skinned boys and girls, from kindergarten to elementary school, to positively rate subjects or groups with their skin colour and to evaluate those who had dark skin tones negatively (Williams & Morland, 1976;Aboud, 1988;Katz & Kofkin, 1997;Bernstein et al, 2000;Baron & Banaji, 2004;McGlothlin & Killen, 2006;Gibson et al, 2015), especially when the former had no direct contact with the latter (Radke & Sutherland, 1949;George & Hoppe, 1979;Jarrett, 1981). However, several studies have shown that older girls and boys develop positive attitudes towards each other (Katz & Zalk, 1978;Cameron et al, 2007;Verkuyten & De Wolf, 2007), having a greater capacity for «reconciliation», that is, the ability to recognize preferences other than one's own as equally valid and just, compared to younger girls and boys (Johnson & Aboud, 2017).…”

“…According to Clark et al (2017), the PRAM II (Preschool Racial Attitude Measure II) developed by Williams and Morland (1975), and the Katz-Zalk Projective Prejudice Test (KZPP) developed by Katz and Zalk (1976) have been two of the most commonly used tools for evaluating explicit ethnic attitudes over time. Using both methods, the administrator reads short stories characterized by positive or negative actions and adjectives.…”

“…One of the limitations in PRAM II and KZPP, as claimed by Clark et al (2017), concerned the forced binary choice offered to the experimental sample. Neither of the two procedures allowed the sample to assign a particular attribute (adjective, connotation) to either stimulus-pictures or colours (and related ethnic groups to which the colours refer).…”

“…Other limitation concerned the reduction of skin colours, concerning ethnic groups considered in PRAM II's stimuli. In the field of ethnic attitudes among boys and girls, Clark et al (2017) found few comparisons other than «White-Black» (Griffiths & Nesdale, 2006;Killen et al, 2007;Gibson et al, 2015), in the research field on the ethnic attitudes of boys and girls. The binary comparisons failed to grasp the complexity and nuance of attitudes, particularly in «multiethnic» settings (Bobo & Hutchings, 2003).…”

“…People with dark skin tints were most likely to choose «pro-White/anti-Black» response options. The diversity of data that emerged from RAI compared to PRAM II allowed Clark et al (2017) to demonstrate that ethnic prejudices can be classified differently depending on the methods used to detect and measure them. If a binary choice is forced, it could lead to choices that are permeated with ethnic prejudice.…”