A Long-Term Effect of Perceptual Individuation Training on Reducing Implicit Racial Bias in Preschool Children

Miao Qian (1, 2) , Paul C. Quinn (3) , Gail D. Heyman (4, 5) , Olivier Pascalis (6) , Genyue Fu (7) , Kang Lee (5, 2)

1 Hangzhou Normal University
2 University of Toronto
3 Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
4 UC San Diego - University of California [San Diego]
5 Zhejiang Normal University
6 LPNC - Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition
7 Department of Psychology

This study tracked the long-term effect of perceptual individuation training on reducing 5-year-old Chinese children's (N = 95, M age = 5.64 years) implicit pro-Asian/anti-Black racial bias. Initial training to individuate other-race Black faces, followed by supplementary training occurring 1 week later, resulted in a long-term reduction of pro-Asian/anti-Black bias (70 days). In contrast, training Chinese children to recognize White or Asian faces had no effect on pro-Asian/anti-Black bias. Theoretically, the finding that individuation training can have a long-term effect on reducing implicit racial bias in preschoolers suggests that a developmentally early causal linkage between perceptual and social processing of faces is not a transitory phenomenon. Practically , the data point to an effective intervention method for reducing implicit racism in young children.

Domaines: Psychologie

Miao Qian, Paul C. Quinn, Gail D. Heyman, Olivier Pascalis, Genyue Fu, et al.. A Long-Term Effect of Perceptual Individuation Training on Reducing Implicit Racial Bias in Preschool Children. Child Development, 2017, 90 (3), pp.e290-e305. ⟨10.1111/cdev.12971⟩. ⟨hal-01618303⟩