The Influence of Direct and Overheard Messages on Children's Attitudes Toward Novel Social Groups

Abstract

Individuals often develop negative biases toward unfamiliar or denigrated groups. Two experimental studies were conducted to investigate the extent to which brief negative messages about novel social groups influence children's (4-to 9-year-olds'; N = 153) intergroup attitudes. The studies examined the relative influence of messages that are provided directly to children versus messages that are overheard and examined whether the force of these messages varies with children's age. According to implicit and explicit measures of children's intergroup attitudes, children rapidly internalized messages demeaning novel groups, thus forming negative attitudes toward outgroups merely on the basis of hearsay. These effects were generally stronger among older children, and were particularly pronounced when the message was provided directly to children.

Overhearing Brief Negative Messages Has Lasting Effects on Children’s Attitudes Toward Novel Social Groups

“…Only one project (to our knowledge) has examined whether young children may develop biases about social groups by overhearing others’ negative claims about those groups. In studies by Lane, Conder, and Rottman (2020), children ages 4‐ to 9‐years played a game with a researcher who made derogatory claims about a novel group of people (e.g., “Gearoos are really bad people. They eat disgusting food and they wear such weird clothes.…”

“…In this study, we focused on a period of development (4–9 years) when children’s intergroup biases rapidly develop (e.g., Nesdale, 2004; Raabe & Beelmann, 2011). We expand upon the methods of Lane et al (2020) and address additional questions about how derogatory, disparaging social messages influence children’s intergroup attitudes. We exclusively and more thoroughly investigate the effects of overhearing claims on children’s intergroup attitudes, and those claims are presented in a different manner than in prior work.…”

“…We exclusively and more thoroughly investigate the effects of overhearing claims on children’s intergroup attitudes, and those claims are presented in a different manner than in prior work. In contrast to Lane et al (2020), who tested for the effects of hearing negative claims uttered by someone whom children had established rapport with and who was in the same room as the child, this study explores the effects of negative messages provided by a complete stranger who is not in the room with the child and who is never introduced to the child. Specifically, children overhear a video‐chat conversation in which a nonpresent, unfamiliar caller makes brief, negative claims about a novel social group.…”

Children’s Intergroup Attitudes: Insights From Iran

“…It is likely that the extent to which children feel emotionally connected to high-status others is affected by the kinds of comments that they hear people say about rich or poor people. For instance, children might feel more negative toward individuals if they hear critical comments about their group (see Lane, Conder, & Rottman, 2019). Future research is needed to address this possibility.…”

Political preferences and threat perception: opportunities for neuroimaging and developmental research

“…All three forms of learning can lead to a neutral stimulus being represented as a threat, whether or not that representation is objectively justified [48]. For example, children can learn to morally condemn arbitrary novel actions [49] and learn to form demeaning associations with novel outgroups [50] after adults voice judgments. Adults also willingly transmit threat-relevant information to one another, even when there is a low probability of harm, and a high probability of a positive outcome [51*].…”