What Does Research Reveal About How Early Children Develop Racist Mindsets — and Why?

Written by Zacchaeus Poulsen

Edited by Mathias Habal-Shore

To answer this question, I reference research done by Louise Derman-Sparks, Carol Tanaka Higa, and Bill Sparks. They conducted a study on young children to determine how early signs of prejudice could be discerned. Higa and Sparks are teachers in the Los Angeles school system. Louise Derman-Sparks was a preschool teacher, childcare center director, human development member at Pacific Oaks College, and activist. She has worked intensively on issues surrounding diversity and social justice for the last 60 years. Derman-Sparks is also the author of numerous books addressing childhood education on racism.

There are many different opinions on how to address racism with children, especially younger ones. One of the most common views is that simply not addressing racism at all is the answer. Some believe this will lead to truly unbiased children because they will not have been formally exposed to racism from an intellectual standpoint.

Many textbooks that psychologists, teachers, and social workers use reference the notion that children are “color blind.” This theory assumes that children do not question anything, including their own identity and surroundings. Essentially, it postulates that if you don’t talk about racism with children, they will never see or know that differences exist or assess others or themselves based on such differences.

However, it’s not that simple. Our society is flawed and full of prejudice, which young children pick up on, whether they’ve been actively taught to do so or not. They may not know the word for what they’re witnessing, but they still sense it.

In fact, researchers have found that children become aware of racism at a very young age. Mary Ellen Goodman conducted a study on 100 Black children and 100 White children aged 3 to 5 years old. By the age of 4 years old, 25% of the children were expressing strong views and opinions regarding race.

Evidently, youth are not, in fact, “color blind.” The only way to ensure a child will be unbiased and unprejudiced is to raise them in a non-racist society. Unfortunately, we all know that there is likely no place on Earth where there is not some element of societal racism.

According to a study conducted by Sparks, Derman-Sparks, and Higa, there are several stages to acknowledge in educating children about racism, each calculated by age. In this article, we’ll focus on the three most important age ranges: 3–5 years old, 5–8 years old, and 9–12 years old. These age ranges correspond with the three stages of cognitive development established by the influential Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, in his book Theory of Cognitive Development. There is a fourth one but it was not included in the study. By correlating their study with Piaget’s research, we can begin to understand more clearly how racism can develop in children from an early age.

The first stage classified by Piaget is the Pre-Operational period from ages 3-5. In this stage, children observe a lot and begin to acknowledge things such as, “I’m brown,” or, “He is white.” At this age, they must learn to distinguish between the colors of objects, as well as the social implications associated with color. Since this is an observational and learning stage, any inaccurate stereotypical images or information about racial groups from the media and especially television, as well as from nearby adults could have negative consequences. Children may detect even subtle prejudices and unconsciously adopt similar opinions and attitudes.

The second stage is the Socio-Centric period from ages 5-8. In this stage, children start to become conscious of being in a group that may be different from others. Any racist views and prejudices that they have absorbed in the past will start to start to consolidate in their minds and become their own. For example, they may intentionally use racist name-calling to hurt another person. On the flip side, they also have an emerging moral sense which can help them perceive the injustice of racism. It is critical at this stage that they start to understand that racism is not necessarily part of human nature. Unfortunately, this is inevitably in conflict with what they have already observed.

The third stage in the study is Reciprocity, which takes place between the ages of 9-12. This is when they start to understand the interactions between group membership and individuality. Along with that comes the acknowledgment that we are all simultaneously individuals and members of specific sub-groups that have both similar and different needs. This is also when historical and geographical aspects of their racial identity come into play. Reciprocity is the last stage when prejudicial ideas and views can easily be reversed.

What should parents do to stop racist and prejudiced views from developing in children?

First, they should share their knowledge and pride about their own racial culture and identity with their children. Parents imparting accurate knowledge of other racial groups help children experience appreciation and respect for themselves as well as for others. Finally, they must educate their children about racism and how to fight it.

However, these methods and strategies vary depending on whether a child belongs to a minority group. Minority parents should teach their children to define and honor their own identity and openly look at and seek to understand other groups. White people should teach their children to question other people’s assumptions about color and identify comments which reflect stereotypical attitudes. Both enlighten their children about the true extent of White privilege and structural racism.

To conclude, research reveals that racism can indeed develop in children as young as three years old. As children develop cognitively, they also establish their own moral beliefs and prejudices. Essentially, at a very young age, children pick up on human behavior and model their beliefs and prejudices on this behavior, essentially mimicking it. When racism and White privilege is structural, their influence is inescapable. The microaggressions that may go entirely unnoticed by an adult may be experienced by a child as racism. even if they don’t know that that is what it is.

If parents take the time to explain to their children the importance of noticing and questioning negative attitudes toward others based on race or other alleged differences, it has the potential to go a long way toward preventing the entrenchment of such attitudes. Widespread application of this approach could even serve to dramatically reduce the prevalence of racism in our society for future generations.