THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RACE
Is Race Relevant?
 In the past people incorrectly identified
five major races: white, yellow, red,
brown, and black.
 Scientists gave them the names:
Caucasian, Oriental, Native Indian,
Indo-Pakistani, and Negroid.
 Today scientists have found no
significant genetic difference to justify
their division into races.
 The American Anthropology
Association identifies race as a learned
cultural behaviour.
Early Explanations of
Prejudice
 More than a half century
ago Gordon Allport and
Theodore Adorno used
questionnaires to
measure the strengths of
individual prejudice.
 They were able to find a
correlation between
higher education and
tolerance.
Early Explanations of
Prejudice
 Later Adorno identified characteristics of non-
tolerant individuals with “Authoritarian
personalities.” Here are the characteristics:

Quick to judge things as good/bad and
right/wrong.
 Low tolerance for ambiguity.
 Ethnocentrism – People who strongly favour
their culture over another.
 Bigoted parents
 Parents were cold and disciplinarian with them.
Linking Prejudice to Child
Development

Francis Aboud developed a theory called the social-cognitive theory of prejudice.

Children become aware of ethnic groups at the age of 4 or 5.

Parents effect what children learn so does the broader society.

Along with these factors she thinks you need to understand child cognition.

When children are most aware of self-concerns at age 4, they become aware of
other ethnicities. Their ideas usually include in group membership and out group
stereotypes.
Linking Prejudice to Child
Development

Children's ideas are incomplete and confused at this
age.

At around age 7 their abilities change and they
become more able to look outside themselves,
usually at this point they can become less prejudiced
if they are properly exposed.

At 10-12 children develop reasoning skills that help
them see individuals and judge them that way rather
than as a group.

At any stage a child who is bombarded with racist
ideas will develop and hold prejudices.

Aboud has recognized both the role of parents and
development rates of children positing that as a child
grows their understanding of race can change.
Affirming Racial Identity
 Everyone has a racial identity that
we must strive to affirm for our
personal well being and comfort
with ourselves.
 Even if race is not a genetic issue it
is a cultural one.
 One should negate negative
stereotypes about their culture.
 Learn how to act in specific
situations in order to not become
a passive victim.
Subordinate Cultures
 John Ogbu first coined the
term subordinate culture
for minorities because he
believes that minority
cultures are often put at a
disadvantage.
 He studied the effects of
forcing African American
children into the white
mainstream majority.
Subordinate Cultures
 African Americans come from a culture
where speaking and listening are more
important than reading and writing.
 Ebonics developed on plantations during
the era of slavery.
 Ebony and phonics “Ebonics” or black
sounds.
 It is part of some black people’s social
identity.
 Linguists have found that children who are
taught with an Ebonics bridge to language
learn to write using less Ebonics and learn
to speak and write Standard English easier.
What Would You Do:
Racism in America
 Part 1
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cCQU0jt
4cs
 Part 2
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLXCCcqn
Y-I