Abstract
Two minimal group studies (Ns = 150, 123) examined the impact of emotional empathy on the ethnic attitudes of 5 to 12-year old white Anglo-Australian children. Study 1 evaluated the relationship between empathy and attitudes towards a same (Anglo-Australian) versus different ethnicity (Pacific Islander) outgroup. A significant empathy × outgroup ethnicity interaction revealed that empathy was unrelated to the children's liking for the same ethnicity outgroup, but that liking for the different ethnicity outgroup increased as empathy increased. Study 2 examined the influence of empathy on attitudes towards the different ethnicity outgroup when the ingroup had a norm of inclusion versus exclusion. A significant empathy × group norm interaction revealed that empathy was unrelated to liking when the ingroup had a norm of exclusion, but that liking for the different ethnicity outgroup increased when the ingroup had a norm of inclusion. Implications of the findings for promoting children's positive attitudes to ethnic minority groups are discussed.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 623-637 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology |
Volume | 26 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2005 |
Keywords
- Empathy
- Ethnicity
- Groups
- Minority children
- Norms
- Outgroup
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental and Educational Psychology