The Development of Racial Stereotypes about Warmth and Competence

Abstract

In the U.S., relative to White people, Black people are stereotyped as less competent and less warm, whereas Asian people are stereotyped as more competent but less warm. These cultural beliefs influence how racial minorities fare within society. The present research tested 5- to 7-year-olds to examine the developmental trajectory of these stereotypes. Study 1 (N = 72, 36 girls; 47% White) found that children as young as 5 attributed warmth and competence to White people (versus Black people). Study 2 (N = 72, 36 girls; 55% White) revealed that, starting at age 7, children began to associate competence with Asian people and warmth with White people. From early in life, children endorse common racial stereotypes about warmth and competence.

Gender stereotypes are racialized: A cross-cultural investigation of gender stereotypes about intellectual talents.

“…Third, it would be worthwhile to explore the development of racial stereotypes about intellectual capacities. In the U.S. culture, Asians are stereotypically assumed to excel in intellectual tasks (e.g., Ambady et al, 2001;Eagly & Kite, 1987;Fiske et al, 2002;Ghavami & Peplau, 2013;Shih et al, 1999), and children as young as age 6 begin to internalize these ideas (Baharloo et al, 2021). Just as children hinge on race in constructing their gender stereotypes, their racial stereotypes may have a gender component.…”

Children's use of pragmatic inference to learn about the social world

“…Young children often endorse stereotypical beliefs about a social group's traits and abilities. For example, by first grade, children associate intellectual ability with men more than women and believe that women are bad at math (Bian et al., 2017; Cvencek et al., 2011; Master et al., 2021; for related findings involving race, see Baharloo et al., 2022). But how are beliefs like these transmitted to children?…”