Perry

Racial Socialization Study Overview

  • Authors and Affiliations

    • Sylvia Perry

    • Institution: Psychology Department Fellow, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University

    • Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study of the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University

    • Deborah J. Wu

    • Northwestern University

    • Stonehill College

    • Jamie L. Abaied

    • University of Vermont

    • Allison L. Skinner-Dorkenoo

    • University of Georgia

    • Sirenia Sanchez

    • Northwestern University, University of California, Los Angeles

    • Sara F. Waters

    • Washington State University

    • Adilene Osnaya

    • Purdue University

  • Funding & Acknowledgments

    • SAGE Sara Miller McCune Fellow

    • Thanks to Drs. Sue Hespos and Sandy Waxman for data access.

    • Appreciation for research assistants at the Social Cognition and Intergroup Processes Lab and Family Development Lab.

    • Acknowledgment of Dr. Emily Blevins’ leadership in data collection.

  • Author Note

    • Corresponding Author: sylvia.perry@northwestern.edu

    • The authors declare no competing interests and all data are accessible on OSF.

Abstract

  • Study Purpose: Examine effects of guided discussions about race on pro-White implicit biases in White children aged 8-12 and their White parents.

  • Key Areas Explored:

    1. Changes in pro-White implicit biases pre-to-post conversation.

    2. How racial socialization messages affected biases (color conscious, external attributions for prejudiced behavior, colorblind racial ideology).

    3. Variation by type of racism discussed (subtle vs. blatant).

  • Findings:

    • Both children’s and parents’ biases declined after discussions.

    • Parents’ color conscious messages led to greater declines, while colorblind and external attributions led to smaller declines.

    • Effects were more significant for subtle racism discussions.

    • Mixed effects of children’s messages on parents’ biases.

Racial Socialization Background

  • Prevalence of Parent Conversations About Race:

    • White parents believe discussing race is beneficial but often avoid it.

    • Discussions, when held, more often use color-evasive messages denying racism's existence, emphasizing individual failings of racial minorities instead of systemic issues.

  • Concerns of Parents:

    • Fear that discussions may increase children's racial biases. Many believe children don't notice race, equating recognition of race as racist.

Study Aims

  1. Facilitate Color Conscious Conversations: Utilize a guided discussion task with White parents and children focusing on interpersonal racism.

  2. Assess Mutual Influence: Explore how parental and children’s socialization messages relate to changes in pro-White implicit biases.

  3. Influence of Bias Type: Examine whether the type of racial bias discussed affects socialization's impact.

Literature Review

  • Racial Socialization in White Families:

    • Limited research compared to racial socialization frameworks for parents of color.

    • Two main approaches identified:

    1. Racial Silence: Avoiding discussions about race.

    2. Colorblind Racial Ideology (CBRI): Acknowledging race exists but minimizing racism (e.g., power evasion).

    • The greater reliance on CBRI correlates with increased bias in White children.

    • Existing literature contradicts parental fears; explicit discussions about racism may reduce children’s biases.

Guided Discussions Methodology

  • Importance of Color Conscious Conversations: Explicit acknowledgment of race, discussion of accountability, fostering empathy, and labeling prejudice have shown promise in lowering racial bias.

  • Implementation of Video Prompts: Parents and children watched videos depicting racial bias scenarios encouraging specific discussion prompts aimed at eliciting color conscious messages.

  • Discussion Structure:

    • Initial acclimatization with control videos.

    • Followed by subtle and blatant bias videos with open-ended and structured prompts.

Methodology Details

  • Participants:

    • 87 White parents with children aged 8-12 from the Chicago area.

    • Majority mothers (91%), 49% girls, 51% boys.

    • High education level and majority holding liberal views.

Study Design

  • Materials Used: Implicit Association Tests (IATs) for bias measurement before and after discussion, in conjunction with video prompts.

Findings on Implicit Bias Changes

  • Children’s Implicit Biases:

    • Significant pre-to-post decline from M = 0.41 (SD = 0.36) to M = 0.16 (SD = 0.30).

  • Parents’ Implicit Biases:

    • Decline from M = 0.53 (SD = .41) to M = 0.34 (SD = 0.49).

Socialization Messages and Bias Change

  • Influence on Bias:

    • Parents’ color conscious messages correlated with greater bias reduction in children.

    • External attributions served to mitigate declines in bias.

Discussion and Future Directions

  • Implications: Adoption of color conscious racial socialization may assist in reducing implicit pro-White biases. Suggested continued focus on methods capable of sustaining engagement with racial discussions across White families.

  • Research Limitations: Lack of geographic and socioeconomic diversity in sample; needs further exploration into systemic racism discussions.

  • Further Studies Recommended: Investigate long-term effects of the discussions, explore emotional and behavioral outcomes, and examine longitudinal effects on friendship diversity.

Summary

  • The current study highlights a novel method to engage White families in productive discussions about race, resulting in immediate positive changes in racial biases and targeting the importance of narrative both at individual and inter-individual levels. Racial socialization is crucial for addressing systemic biases and improving racially equitable interactions.