The development of stereotypes concerning the Negro.

Views of black and white children concerning the distribution of personality characteristics1

“…For a number of traits, there was a trend such that they were assigned to whites by the younger white children but to blacks by the older children. The nature of these traits (easy-going, fond of music, good dancer, happy-go-lucky, musical, seme of rhythm, showy, wears flashy clothes) provides some surface evidence that a process described by Blake and Dennis (1943) may take place. In interpreting similar trends, they proposed that, while the younger white children applied virtually all of the Table 2.…”

“…Since it was not possible to include all traits of potential apphcabihty for mterracial compansons, 50 "stereotype-relevant" traits were utilized. These were traits which previous research (Blake & Dennis, 1943, Karlms, Coffman & Walters, 1969, Bngham, 1971) has identified as often used by white Amencans m the attnbution of traits to white and black Americans Earher research (eg, Bayton, 1941;Bayton, McAlister & Hamer, 1956) has suggested that many of these same traits are of central importance m trait attributions made by blacks. However, it should be recogmzed that additional traits which might be of considerable miportance m attributions of black subjects may not be included in the necessanly limited trait sample employed.…”

“…To provide data relevant to these questions, a modified form of a questionnaire developed by Blake and Dennis (1943), assessing views as to v^ther spec^d traits are more characteristic of Vhites* or "Negroes," was administered to white and black schoolchildren in grades 4 through 12 of two segregated private schools in the Deep South in Spring, 1970. Approximately one year later, some of the same subjects were asked to rate, for each trait, how much they would "like" someone (race unspecified) characterized by that trait.…”

Racial Stereotypes in Young Children

“…Knowledge of this kind has been used as a basis for previous studies dealing with racial attitudes in children, especially those of Horowitz (3) and Blake and Dennis ( 1). In these studies it was recognized that numerous variables effect racial attitudes.…”

The Development of Social Attributions: An Integration of Probability and Logic

“…During the operational objec tive period the use of logical skills in attribu tions flourishes, but probabilistic skills con tribute little to person perceptions. The child takes the concept of invariance too literally [Blake and Dennis, 1943]. Classifications are reified.…”