ERIC Number: EJ1109158
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Aug
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0012-1649
EISSN: N/A
Children Rectify Inequalities for Disadvantaged Groups
Elenbaas, Laura; Killen, Melanie
Developmental Psychology, v52 n8 p1318-1329 Aug 2016
Children's decisions regarding the allocation of societal resources in the context of preexisting inequalities were investigated. African American and European American children ages 5 to 6 years (n = 91) and 10 to 11 years (n = 94) judged the acceptability of a medical resource inequality on the basis of race, allocated medical supplies, evaluated different resource allocation strategies, and completed a measure of status awareness based on race. With age, children were increasingly aware of wealth status disparities between African Americans and European Americans, and judged a medical resource inequality between groups more negatively. Further, with age, children rectified the resource inequality over perpetuating it, but only when African American children were disadvantaged. With age, children also referenced rights when reasoning about their judgments concerning the disadvantaged African American group. When European American children were disadvantaged, children did not systematically allocate more resources to one group over another. The results are discussed in terms of social inequalities, disadvantaged status, moral judgments, and intergroup attitudes.
Descriptors: Social Influences, Social Justice, Social Bias, African American Children, Whites, Young Children, Age Differences, Resource Allocation, Racial Bias, Socioeconomic Status, Access to Health Care, Racial Differences, Kindergarten, Grade 5, Interviews, Childhood Attitudes, Hypothesis Testing, Likert Scales, Measures (Individuals), Multiple Regression Analysis, Probability, Statistical Analysis
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Kindergarten; Primary Education; Early Childhood Education; Grade 5; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools; Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A