Young White children’s allocation and punishment behaviors toward White and Black peers: Individual and parental factors

Abstract

Despite calls for antiracism, research on potential links between parental socialization and anti-Black bias and behavior in young White children remains limited. With the goal of further informing evidence-based suggestions toward high-quality racial socialization in a dominant racial group, this study examined 5- to 6-year-old White children’s (n = 123; 49% female; M_age = 5.46 years; Median_{Household Income} = $75,000–$100,000/year) potential racial bias in allocation and punishment behaviors toward White and Black peers. Results showed no differences in allocation by peer race. However, girls punished Black peers significantly less than White peers, whereas boys showed no difference. We also tested whether individual and parent characteristics were related to children’s behaviors. Parents’ lower color-evasive attitudes and lower household income were related to children’s increased punishment of White compared to Black peers. Findings highlight gender differences in racial bias in young children, the importance of punishment behavior in the future study of children’s racial bias, and the apparent, yet nuanced, links between parents’ color-evasive attitudes and children’s anti-Black punishment bias. We offer suggestions for parents and researchers.