The study, which found that girls were less likely to attribute negative intentions than were boys, also shows how girls are more sensitive to the fading of inter-racial friendships over time because of their own exclusion from certain sports, math and science activities. “[Girls] have already experienced exclusion,” Killen says. “When kids have inter-racial friendships it’s good to reduce bias.”
She says that although young children are not aware of historical patterns of exclusion, they pick up subtle messages from adults and see it in a larger context.
“Children make different judgments, and stereotypes enter into their judgments, even when they also understand fairness,” Killen says.
— By Shilpa Banerji
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