Extension of Color Bias Research to Young French and Italian Children

Abstract

Previous research has documented a pancultural tendency for positive evaluation to be associated with the color white and negative evaluation to be associated with black. This pro-white/anti-black bias has been demonstrated among both Euro-and Afro-American preschoolers using the Color Meaning Test (CMT) and other procedures. Translated versions of CMT and a companion measure, the Preschool Racial Attitude Measure (PRAM), were administered to samples of five-and six-year-old children in France and Italy. A tendency toward pro-white/anti-black bias was found in both groups; however, this bias was less pronounced in the French group than in the Italian group, or in previous Euro-American samples. The European children also displayed a tendency toward the positive evaluation of light-skinned figures relative to dark-skinned figures, but not to the degree usually found with Euro-American children. Theories of the development of color and race bias in young children are discussed.