Prediction of Preschool Children's Ethnic Attitudes

Abstract

Research addressing the etiology of prejudice has generally focused on attitudes toward Blacks and examined only one mechanism of formation at a time. This study investigated the demographic characteristics, recreation preferences, attitudes, and amounts of contact with different ethnic/racial groups of 40 Anglo preschool children and their parents in an attempt to identify factors associated with the development of prejudice. The Chicano Ethnic Attitude Measure (CEAM) was used to determine children's attitudes toward Chicanos. Parents responded to a structured interview. Variables reflecting children's and parents' recreational preferences and ethnic attitudes were able to significantly predict children's CEAM scores, while demographic characteristics and amount of contact variables showed a trend toward significance. Speculations as to which aspects of these areas mediate prejudice are offered.