Racial Attitudes

Theories of Racial Attitude Development

A great deal of sociological research into racial attitudes has focused on the racial attitudes of children. Researchers have been keen to find out if young children hold views of others based on race and, if so, what kinds of racial attitudes they display. Most [Page 682]research in this area shows that children as young as five years of age feel that the color of a person's skin is socially significant. Interestingly, both black and white children associated white complexions with positive social values and black skin with negative values. Regardless of the race of the respondent, children perceive whites to be more likeable, more industrious, more intelligent, and more ambitious than other races. Blacks are perceived least favorably and are seen as dirty, lazy, dishonest, and stupid.

The existence of such distinct racial attitudes among young children raises some serious questions. Where do children acquire their attitudes toward race? Do these attitudes change over time or are they fixed? What, if anything, can be done to change or modify a person's racial attitudes later in life? What are the consequences of failing to change racial attitudes?

In an attempt to address some of these questions, psychologist Gordon Allport studied racial interactions and attitudes and came up with what he called the contact hypothesis. In simple terms, the contact hypothesis argues that close and sustained contact between members of different races promotes the development of positive attitudes toward the opposite race. Lack of contact, according to the hypothesis, fosters prejudice, stereotyping, and racial discrimination. Supporters of this view suggest that one of the main reasons for prejudiced racial attitudes is lack of accurate information about members of other races. They argue that members of different races who get to know one another on a firsthand basis gain knowledge about each other that is not only accurate but also largely favorable. Those who have no interracial contacts must rely on information that may be biased and inaccurate. In addition, they have no direct experience with other races that might contradict those negative views.

The contact hypothesis is appealing and sounds logical, and several studies have supported the conclusion that contact between the races does indeed produce more positive racial attitudes. However, many of these studies are quite dated, and most were conducted under controlled experimental conditions rather than in the “real world.” In addition, most studies of the contact hypothesis have focused solely on the racial attitudes of whites toward blacks. Few have examined what effect interracial contact has on the racial attitudes of blacks toward whites. The few studies that have explored this topic have produced contradictory findings.

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